Life Goes On: The Additions
by Lissical
Summary: Second Story in the Life Goes On series. Troy and Sharpay desperately want to have a child. What trials and tribulations await them along the way? Summary stinks the story is much better.
1. Keep Trying

**Title: The Addition(s)**

**Author: Lisa (a.k.a Lissical)**

**Summary: This is a sequel to my story "Changes," which can be found somewhere here, probably on one of the last pages. If you haven't read it, please do! Just look at my profile and you'll see the story there, where it says what stories I've written. **

**So anyway, yeah. I promised you guys I would do this like a month ago (it seems like a month ago), but life got in the way, as did writer's block. So I just (and I do mean JUST) came up with this story.**

**Anyway, here's what is going on: It is six years into the future and Troy and Sharpay are still together. They are married (happily) and well…the rest of the story will play itself out as it goes along.**

**Disclaimer: Now I wouldn't be writing this if I owned HSM, would I? ;-) J/K. I don't own anything or anyone except for the people you haven't heard of from the movie.**

**Please, please, please review. Good or bad (bad meaning constructive criticism!), just please review. I truly value each and every one.**

**On with the show!**

_Pieces in italics are flashbacks, just so you know. POV is 3rd person for the most part._

_**The Addition(s)**_

* * *

Troy sat quietly beside Sharpay on their bed. They looked at the clock. It had only been three minutes, but it felt more like sixty. Their hands were entwined, eagerly awaiting the results.

BEEP BEEP BEEP! The timer FINALLY went off. Troy and Sharpay looked at one another nervously. This was their third try at getting pregnant.

* * *

_**Flashback… 1 year ago…**_

_Sharpay laid in the hospital bed crying with Troy by her side. "We'll try again," he said, reassuring her._

_She looked up into his big blue eyes. "I…just can't believe that I lost it. I was five weeks along and everything was fine! Everything," she said, bursting into tears again._

_Troy just nodded and hugged his wife of two years. "Just know that I love you."_

"_But I just lost our baby! I knew I shouldn't have gone on that hike…"_

"_No. Don't even start blaming yourself," he said, grabbing her hand. "This is NOT your fault. Apparently Mother Nature just wasn't ready for us to have a baby yet." _

_Sharpay nodded and wiped away a few tears and smiled weakly. "So are you saying that you want to try again?"_

"_Yes."_

_**End flashback**_

* * *

"Shar?" Troy said, bringing his wife back into the present. "Are you ready?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes." She took his hand and they walked into the bathroom together and looked at the test. "No…"

Troy looked down at the floor for a moment and then into Sharpay's eyes. "Listen to me. We will have a baby, one way or another," he said as he brought her head to his chest.

"I should call Gabi," Sharpay said emotionlessly. After the end of junior year of high school, Gabi and Sharpay had decided to call a truce. They didn't want to be enemies; it was just too much work. So they, along with Troy became very good friends.

Troy watched as Sharpay walked over to the phone to call Ryan and Gabi. Mark had dumped Gabi after he met someone "with more spunk," as he had put it. It had left her heartbroken. Ryan was the only one, other than Troy and Sharpay who was there for her. Ever since then, the two had become inseparable. They were married just a few months after Troy and Sharpay and had a little girl, Theresa. She was going to be 2 soon.

Sharpay picked up the phone and dialed the number. "Hi Gabi, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that it didn't happen…again. Anyway, give me a call when you get this. Talk to you later. Oh, and hi Ryan, no I didn't forget about you." She sighed and hung up the phone and looked up at Troy.

"Not home," he asked.

"Nope, they are probably taking Theresa to the park or something." She took a deep breath. "I guess I had better get my things ready for tomorrow." Sharpay had gone to school and become a Drama Teacher over at East Junior High School. In her spare time, she made sure to audition for and act in several plays around the city.

Troy nodded, but stopped her. "Shar, are you sure you're all right? I mean, you do know that we will have a baby, one way or the other, right?"

She smiled, "Yeah, I know. I just hate this. How many tests have we taken in the last four months?"

"Um…"

"Exactly. Too many to count. I just don't know if it's going to happen," she said as she walked out of the room.

Troy sighed and sat on the bed. He had to do something; he couldn't just sit there and watch as his wife became more and more depressed. After several minutes of thinking, he got an idea and walked over to the phone. "Jason, hi it's Troy," he said, talking to one of his friends from high school. "Listen I was just wondering if you could give me some information on something."

TBC

* * *

**Okay, that's chapter one. Sorry it's so short. So, what is the information that Troy wants? Please R&R! Also, Sorry this chapter is so short! Had to have a beginning of some sort.**


	2. Please?

**Okay, so I am changing some of the story here. Mainly the number of years into the future and when the flashback from the previous chapter took place. Oh yeah, and the age of Ryan and Gabriella's daughter. So, it's going to be 13 years into the future, making everyone around 30 years old instead of early 20s. Ryan and Gabi's daughter Theresa is 4 instead of 2, and the flashback took place 2 years ago, not one year ago. Trust me, it helps with my plot here. I know, totally confusing, but that was my intent all along! ;) Just kidding!**

**Also, I'm not a doctor, so anything that I write that has to do with something medical may not be (and probably isn't) completely accurate. I'm warning you now.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything or anyone, except for any characters that weren't in the movie.**

* * *

**_The Additions (2?)_**

"So what kind of information did you need," Jason asked.

Troy didn't say anything for a minute, wanting to make sure he really wanted to do this. What if Sharpay hated him for it?

"Troy? You still there," Jason asked after a minute of complete silence.

"Oh, sorry," Troy said, snapping back into reality. "I need some advice on something rather important."

"Please don't tell me it has anything to do with you re-painting the restaurant...again. You know what happened last time."

Troy chuckled, recalling the memory.

* * *

**_Flashback... 5 years ago..._**

_"Come on, it won't be that difficult," Troy told his friend. "I just want some help here, and you don't need to be an artist, which I already know you're not."_

_"Hey! Give a guy a little credit here," Jason said. "I did paint that one room in our house, didn't I?"_

_"Only if you count splattering it all over the walls, then yes, you did. But seriously Jason, I do need the help. Sharpay is already here and so are Ryan and Gabi. We need all the help we can get. And since Chad and Taylor are in L.A.--"_

_Jason sighed, "Okay, I'll help."_

_"So all we're doing is painting this wall here and this wall here," Troy said, pointing to two separate walls, each one rather large. _

_Jason nodded, "Sounds good to me," he said as he stepped forward. "See, I knew that this would be..." But he was cut off when he tripped over something. He looked down and saw that he had stepped in the paint, covering himself, Sharpay, and Kelsi in white paint. "Oops..."_

_Troy laughed so hard that he fell over. "Okay, so this is just like when you guys painted your house," he said in between laughs._

_Jason just scowled at Troy._

**_End flashback_**

* * *

"No," Troy said, trying not to laugh. "It has absolutely nothing to do with that. You really think that I would let you back in there with a paintbrush? C'mon, even I'm not that dumb."

"All right, then what are you calling for?"

He took a deep breath. "Okay. So you know Katie?"

"Katie as in my daughter who is sitting on the couch watching a cartoon, then yes, I do know Katie. She's five years old and--"

"Jason! Yes, that Katie. I am just curious...how long did it take for you and Kelsi to get everything finalized with the paperwork?"

"Hmm, I guess when the whole thing was done, about a year or so. Why?" Jason and Kelsi had decided that after a year without being able to have a baby that they would adopt. They had decided on adopting a baby girl from China. She was now the most precious being in their lives and they were very happy with their decision.

"Well, Sharpay and I...we haven't exactly been having...a lot of luck in having a baby over the last few years," Troy said.

"Yeah, I remember last year when she ended up in the hospital. Talk about unexpected. She was perfectly healthy."

"Exactly. So anyway, can you give me any information you have on who I might want to contact and when?"

Jason nodded, "Sure. How about Kelsi and I come by tomorrow or something."

Troy looked at the door as he heard footsteps approaching. "Sounds good. Listen, I have to go."

"Haven't told her this idea yet, have you," Jason asked.

"No, not exactly. So we'll see you two tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Thanks man," Troy said. He said goodbye and hung up the phone and looked over at Sharpay who was now standing in the doorway. "Hey," he said as she walked into the room, looking a little better than she had when she left.

"Hey yourself." She walked to the bed and sat down next to Troy. "So who was that you were talking to?"

"Huh?"

"The phone? You called someone. Unless you have ESP and picked the phone up before it rang," she said sarcastically.

"Oh, right. The phone. That was Jason. I uh...called to ask him something." Troy paused before he continued. "Shar, how long have we been trying to have a baby now? Three, four years?"

She nodded, "Yeah, that sounds about right. Why?"

"It's just that...well I don't want what happened last year to happen again. I mean, I almost lost you," he said, reliving the horrifying memory.

Sharpay could feel her eyes moisten at the memory. "Yeah..."

* * *

**_Flashback... 1 year ago..._**

_"So, do you guys know if it's a boy or girl yet," Gabi asked as she and a four month pregnant Sharpay sat down in Sharpay and Troy's backyard._

_"Nope, we are going to be surprised. That's the reason we're painting the baby's room green. It can be for a girl or a boy," she said smiling. _

_Gabi smiled as well, remembering how she and Ryan were told that they were going to have aboy so they painted the baby's roomblue and white and filled it with all types of stuffed animals, paintings, and more. What they didn't expect was for their 'boy' to be a girl. Apparently the doctor was looking at a finger, not something else. **(A/N: Okay, you all should know what that 'something else' is...if not...okay nevermind, lol)**_

_"Well, whichever it is, I know that it will be very well-loved," Gabi said as she touched Sharpay's stomach. She was barely showing, but was also just starting to. "Yes, you are going to have the best mommy and daddy out there," Gabi said to Sharpay's stomach._

_Sharpay smiled. "Theresa has some pretty special parents herself you know," she said, referring to the four year old girl who had decided she was going to be like her aunt and father and be a total drama queen._

_"She sure does," Gabi said as Troy and Ryan came outside, along with a pouting Theresa. "Hi there," she said, kissing Ryan. She looked down at Theresa. "And what are we upset about now," she asked, coming down to her level. _

_"I hurt my finger and daddy won't give me a Barbie band-aid! He gave me a Blue's Clues one!" She crossed her arms and walked away from the two, nose in the air. _

_"Yep, just like Aunt Sharpay," Gabi said, smiling. What no one had noticed was that Sharpay seemed to suddenly be in a lot of pain._

_"Um, Troy?" She managed to say as she stood up, only to see that there was blood on her pants. "TROY! HELP ME!" It was then that she passed out. _

_They later found out that she had miscarried again, only this time there was so much damage that the doctor gave the two a 20 chance that she would ever get pregnant again and that the baby would be healthy._

**_End flashback_**

* * *

Sharpay came back to reality. "So why were you on the phone with Jason?"

"Well, I wanted for him to give me some information on--" He took a deep breath before continuing. "On adoption. You know, since they did adopt Katie and all." He waited for a reaction, but instead saw himself looking at an emotionless Sharpay. Something that was not often seen. "Shar?"

"So you just want to give up all together. Is that it," she asked, emotion coming back in the form of tears. "You don't want to try again!"

He sighed and went to put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "Shar, I don't want you to have another miscarriage. Besides, you remember what the doctor said. There was only a 20 chance that you would get pregnant again...and that they baby would be healthy...or live for that matter."

She looked at him with tears now streaming down her face. "How could you do this? How could you just decide that you want to give up on having a family!" She was now yelling and crying.

"I...I didn't just decide to do this," he said calmly, wrapping her into his arms. She tried to make him let go, but he couldn't. He just sat there and hugged her and held back his own tears. "I don't want to lose you."

* * *

**Ooh, a cliffhanger! I'm so evil. ;) Anyway, please R&R! I'll try (I repeat TRY) to have another chapter up sometime this weekend, but no promises...but if I get some reviews I might update faster... :)**


	3. We Can Do It

**Okay, here is chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it. : ) Please remember to R&R after reading!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't be writing this, LOL.**

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_**The Additions (3?)**_

Troy waited for Sharpay to say something. She finally looked up at him and sat up and shook her head. "Just…leave me alone." And with that, she stood up and walked out of the room, went downstairs and grabbed her purse and keys.

Troy was close behind her. "Sharpay, please, don't. We need to talk about this."

She turned to him with anger and sadness in her eyes. "I can't talk to you right now," she said angrily as she opened the front door and headed for her car.

"Shar, please…" He looked up at the sky. "Please, help me out here," he said, still looking up.

Sharpay shook her head and started the car…well tried to anyway. She turned the key again and again…nothing. "Perfect," she muttered to herself.

Troy saw that she was still in the driveway. "Thank you," he said, looking up again. He walked over to the car and bent down so that his head was even with the window. "Please, don't go," he pleaded.

She looked pointedly at him. "Well, it looks like I couldn't even if I wanted to," she said as she tried to start the car again, getting the same response from the car.

Troy walked around to the passenger side and got in. "Please, we need to talk," he said once inside the car.

"I have nothing to say to you. You obviously don't want to have a child," she said, no longer able to control the tears.

"You have it all wrong," he said as he took her hand in his. "I _do _want a child, but it just seems like fate is telling us that we're not going to have a baby in…the same way Ryan and Gabriella did."

She wiped her eyes. "You really think that we won't get pregnant," she asked as she looked over at him.

He looked down at their hands and then at her face and into her eyes. "No, I don't. I mean, we have tried more times than I can remember and each time either ends up with a disappointment or a miscarriage. Shar, I don't think I could handle seeing you go through another miscarriage," he said, both of her previous miscarriages still fresh in his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Sharpay nodded. "I…guess. But I really, really want to have a child."

"And we can. We just need to consider our options. I mean, look at Jason and Kelsi. They love Katie as if she wasn't adopted; and that's how it should be." He paused, glancing up at her. "Why don't we at least talk to Jason and Kelsi tomorrow when they come over and give us that information?"

She nodded and for the first time that day, smiled. "All right, I guess we can do that."

He smiled, "Great. Now how about going back inside?"

"Actually, I kind of wanted to still go out…"

"Shar—"

"No, I mean I want to go out and get something to eat. If you remember, we didn't eat lunch today and personally, I'm starving."

"Okay, you wanna go to the restaurant," he asked, referring to the restaurant that he co-owned with Jason. Chad would have co-owned it with him, but his basketball career had taken off and he was now playing for the L.A. Lakers, which meant that he and Taylor had to relocate to California. Zeke was busy with his cooking show in New York, but Jason had decided to stick around after college and help Troy open a restaurant.

"Yeah, that sounds good." She was about to turn the key, but chuckled and looked over at Troy. "Wanna take your car?"

He laughed, "Yeah, good idea. I don't feel like walking five miles today." They got out of Sharpay's car and walked to Troy's. Once inside, Troy realized something. "Oops."

"What? Did you forget that your car is dead too," she said, trying to suppress a giggle.

"No, I just forgot my keys." He ran back into the house, grabbed his keys and they drove to Player's Grill **(A/N: This is a real restaurant that my family and I used to go to all the time before we moved; my neighbors owned it…okay, back to the story!)** where they ordered their usual meals -- Chicken Caesar Salad for Sharpay and a turkey BLT for Troy.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Sharpay decided to break it. "Thanks, Troy. I really needed this," she said, taking another bite of her salad that left a little bit of dressing on her nose. Troy couldn't help but to chuckle when he saw the salad dressing on her face. "What are you laughing at?"

He shook his head and took his napkin and wiped the dressing off her nose. "That," he said, still giggling.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

Jason said he and Kelsi would come over at around 2:00 PM the next afternoon. As if like clockwork, the doorbell rang at exactly 2:00 PM. Well, Katie rang the doorbell…about 20 times before Kelsi finally stopped her. "Honey, I think they heard it the first five times," she said holding her daughter's hand back from ringing the bell again.

Troy came to the door. "Uncle Troy!" Katie exclaimed as she ran to her Dad's good friend's arms.

"Hey there, Peanut," Troy said as he scooped the five year old up in his arms.

"I'm big now! Mommy said I'm a walnut!" She said proudly.

Troy laughed as Kelsi just shrugged and Jason mouthed, "Five days!" Troy didn't know what he meant by that, but he assumed that was how long Katie had been proclaiming that she was now a 'big girl.'

Sharpay soon joined Troy at the door. "Hey guys," she said, smiling. "Come on in."

"Auntie Sharpie!" Katie said, still not able to pronounce Sharpay's name. She ran to her and put her arms around Sharpay's legs.

"Hi Pean…" She started to say, but was stopped by Troy, Kelsi, and Jason.

"Walnut," they said in unison.

Katie just looked up at Sharpay with that innocence that children always have in their eyes. "I'm a big girl now!"

"Well okay then…Walnut." She smiled and welcomed the three in. "So, how are you doing," Sharpay asked Jason.

"Pretty good," he said nodding his head towards his wife. "Kelsi's new script just got picked up by the University of New Mexico," he said proudly of his wife.

Kelsi blushed. She had majored in Theatre in college; mainly in the writing department and was now writing plays for the University of NM. "Yeah well, they have yet to cast it," she said, rolling her eyes. Not all of her plays had the greatest actors in them.

"Katie, do you want to play that new computer game that we just got," Sharpay asked the little girl, hoping that the adults could talk in private.

Katie's face lit up. "Yes! Can I, Mommy? Please?" She stuck out her lower lip, giving her famous 'puppy dog face' to her Mom.

"Sure. Just remember that we…"

"Don't touch the keyboard," Katie finished for her Mom. "Duh, Mommy."

Kelsi just laughed. "Okay, you can play it."

"Yes!" Sharpay smiled and led Katie to the computer room which was conveniently located not too far from the living room and helped Katie get started on the computer.

The others waited for Sharpay to come back before getting down to business. When she did, she sat down on the couch next to Troy and took his hand and squeezed it; something she did when she was nervous. "So…what can you tell us about adopting," Sharpay asked.

Kelsi and Jason smiled at one another, ready to tell their friends everything they went through and just how rewarding it was in the end.

* * *

**Haha, I did it again. Another cliffhanger…well, sort of. Anyway, I will update this later tomorrow or on Sunday. Please R&R!**


	4. And The Process Begins

**So, here I go again. Chapter 4. I don't know if I should continue after this chapter though; I haven't gotten a lot of reviews (trust me, I LOVE the ones I have received so far!) and it sort of makes me uninspired. So….yeah. **

**Also, I don't know everything that happens when you adopt a child, but I heard a couple talk about how they adopted their two kids and all they went through. It was a true tearjerker! **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them.**

* * *

_**The Additions (4?)**_

Troy took Sharpay's hand as they listened to what Jason and Kelsi had to say about what they went through to adopt Katie.

Jason looked over at Kelsi and then back at Troy and Sharpay. "Well, the first thing I have to say is that there is a lot, and I mean _a lot_ of paperwork involved, and it can be and usually is a pretty long process. I think we had about four different interviews with the adoption agency to make sure we were really fit to be parents," he said as he looked over at Kelsi.

She nodded, "Yeah and then there's the paperwork. Some of it can be depressing." She looked at Sharpay who had a 'huh?' look on her face. "Basically, the questions get to you. They ask you if you would be willing to adopt a child who is missing an arm, or leg, or who has had FAS **(A/N: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)**." She took a deep breath and continued, "It's really hard to put a 'no' next to some of those questions because on the inside, all children are innocent and need homes." Kelsi sighed as she thought about the condition Katie was in when she and Jason adopted her. She was orphaned at three months and had bruises all over her little delicate body from the orphanage she was in. Kelsi could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she took Jason's hand and squeezed it.

Troy and Sharpay just sat there in shock. They would have to go through all of this, just to adopt a child? After a few minutes of silence from all four adults, Sharpay decided to break it. "But in the end, you have a child who you love and cherish as if he or she was yours from the very beginning," she said as Katie came running back into the living room and climbed on Kelsi's lap.

Jason nodded, "Exactly. When we first saw her (Katie), we couldn't believe that she was still only six months old. She barely cried, didn't smile…nothing." He shook his head. "It was really hard at first, but after about three months of having her at home, she started to open up to us. And now…" He just looked at his daughter and smiled. "Well, as you can see, she's the best thing that has happened to us." He picked up Katie from Kelsi's lap and tickled her.

Katie squealed with delight. "Daddy, that tickles!" She continued laughing until Jason stopped and pulled her into a hug. "I love you," she said as she hugged her father back.

"Love you too," he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Kelsi looked at her watch. "Whoa, we need to go. Katie has a d…" She paused. "A d-o-c-t-o-r appointment at 4:00. I'm sorry we have to cut this so short," she said as she stood up.

Troy and Sharpay stood as well. "That's all right. Thank you for everything," Troy said as he kneeled down in front of the little girl. "See you soon, Peanut," he said, knowing what the reaction was going to be.

"WALNUT," she yelled as she stomped out of the room. She was smarter than her mom gave her credit for…she knew what d-o-c-t-o-r spelled. "I don't wanna go to the dumb doctor!"

"Katherine Mae Cross, come here right now," Kelsi said, walking over to the pouting five year old. She looked over at Troy and Sharpay. "Sorry about that. She hates going there."

Sharpay couldn't help but to smile. "Do you guys know how lucky you are?"

Jason looked confused. "If you're talking about dealing with this kind of thing, then …"

"That's exactly what I mean," Sharpay said. "Skinned knees, tantrums, those things may be really annoying for you, but you are so lucky. You do know that, don't you?" She could feel tears coming down her cheeks again. Troy pulled her into a hug.

Kelsi smiled, "Yeah, we do know how lucky we are, and you will be too. It just takes time. You guys are going to be great parents," she said smiling.

"You couldn't be more right about that," Troy said, smiling at Sharpay.

* * *

_**2 Months Later…**_

"That was the worst interview I have ever had to go to," Sharpay said as she and Troy pulled into the driveway.

He sighed, "Yeah, but I think we impressed them. I mean, I think I actually saw a smile come from her," he said as they walked into the house.

Sharpay shook her head. "This is going to take forever, Troy. I mean, what kind of question is, 'how would you feel if you adopted a child from Russia or China or…'" She was stopped by Troy's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about that right now. Right now, worry about this," he said as he put a pile of papers on the dining room table. "I say we get started on this as soon as we can."

"Good idea," Sharpay said as she looked through the papers.

* * *

_**2 Months after that…**_

Sharpay walked through the front door, extremely tired from another long day at the school. She made sure to get the mail before going inside and flipped through it, barely looking at it. "Bill, bill, bill, trash, ooh, letter from Chad and Taylor, bill, ad, trash, trash…" The next letter made her stop dead in her tracks. She looked at the return address. It was from the adoption agency. She put down all of the other mail and rushed to get the letter opener.

"Shar, I'm home," Troy said as he came into the kitchen. "Honey? Where are you?" Troy walked through nearly the entire first floor and didn't see his wife anywhere. He went upstairs to their room and saw her on the bed, tears in her eyes. "Sharpay, what happened," he asked when he saw the letter in her hand.

* * *

**Yep, another cliffhanger. I'm beginning to like these. ;-) And I have decided that even if I don't get a lot of reviews, I'm going to keep writing this. I really like where this is going. Also, sorry this is so short. I'm very tired and need to go to bed, LOL. Anyway, please R&R!**


	5. Here We Go

**Chapter 5! I have been re-inspired to write (mainly because I like where this story is going) and some of it has to do with the reviews that I have received for the last chapter—by last I mean previous. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything except for the kids.**

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* * *

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_**The Additions (5?)**_

Troy walked closer to the bed and saw the envelope that Sharpay was holding. He could see that it had been opened and read quite a bit and cried on by Sharpay. He looked at the return address and without reading the letter, knew he was going to have to sit down. He sat down beside his wife and looked at her. "Are you all right?" He put his hand on her back and rubbed it.

She looked up at him and wiped her eyes, a small, miniscule smile forming on her face. "Just…just read the letter. Then ask me," she said hoarsely.

He nodded and proceeded to read the letter. By the time he got to the end, there were tears in _his_ eyes. "Wow. I don't believe it," he said, grasping Sharpay's hand.

"Well, how do you think I am," she asked again, leaning into him.

"On top of the world, completely shocked, other adjectives that have to do with those two things," he said smiling.

He looked at the letter again. It read:

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bolton,_

_Thank you for your patience and interest in wanting to adopt a child. We here at the New Mexico Adoption Center **(A/N: This will later be referred to as NMAC, just so you know!)** were very impressed with not only your interviews, but with how much you two really do want a child. As you probably know by now, it is a long process, but definitely worth it in the end. _

_After reading your paperwork, we have looked several times for a child who would fit you two best. After much looking, we found not one, but two little girls who could really use some extra caring parents. Please look at page 2 for their photos._

_Again, thank you and please call us as soon as you get a chance._

Sharpay had been reading over his shoulder while he was re-reading the letter. "Um, look at page 2," she said, the tears starting to come back.

Troy looked at her confused. So she wasn't crying about the letter? Then what was she… That's when he turned the page and cupped his hand over his mouth. "Oh my goodness," he said quietly.

Sharpay just nodded, understanding what he meant. On the second page there were two pictures attached, one of each girl and under the pictures were the girl's ages. The first one was 3, the second one was 1. But what really got both Troy and Sharpay weren't their faces, but what was on their faces…on their bodies…all over. "Keep reading," she said quietly.

He continued reading the letter and found out that these two little girls were from Russia and left on the doorstep of the orphanage when the older one was 2 and the little one was 6 months old. It also said that they had been left there after being abandoned by their mother and father.

"But how did they get…" He started to say when Sharpay just pointed to the next paragraph. He then read about how these two little girls had been beaten at the orphanage they were staying at and how the older one was sexually abused a number of times. Troy felt like he was going to be sick. How could anyone do that to such a young child? She was practically still a baby!

"So," Sharpay said after a few minutes of silence, "What do you think? Do you still want to do this?"

He looked into her eyes. "Absolutely." He squeezed her hand and continued to read that they were going to have to fly to Russia in order to meet the kids, since they were still there. "Looks like we're going to have to take some time off work," he said.

"Yeah…well since school ends in three weeks, we can do it after that and I can cancel my voice lessons for however long we're gone." She looked at him again, "Troy, these kids have been both physically and emotionally hurt. You do know that it's going to take 110 from both of us for them to gain our trust…right?"

He nodded, "I do and that is exactly what I am willing to do." He gave his wife a reassuring hug and kiss. "So, do you want to call, or should I?" Before she could respond, he smiled a little at the paper.

"What is it," she asked, seeing his face.

"This," he said, pointing to a caption on the back of each picture, which had each girl's name. The older one's name was Larissa, which meant "cheerful or light-hearted" and the younger one's name was Anastasia which meant "she who will rise again."

Sharpay smiled at the names. "Two beautiful names for two beautiful girls," she said. "And you call them. I'm just going to break down crying again," she said.

He laughed a little, "Okay and I will try to set up a time for us to go to Russia to meet the girls."

She nodded and continued to look at the pictures. She wasn't lying when she said she would break down again. Tears started to flow freely from her eyes as she looked at the girls, now knowing their names.

* * *

_**2 Months Later…**_

Troy had been able to finally get some time off work and had booked a flight for him and Sharpay in June.

"Troy, I can't decide. Should I wear this, or this," she asked, holding up two different outfits.

Since he knew what her answer would be if he said 'both look great,' he simply looked at the second one. "This one, definitely, but Shar, remember that we're not going to meet them until tomorrow. We aren't going to meet them today."

"I know that, but I needed to know anyway." She hurried back to her closet and continued to put in clothes, shoes, and whatever else she thought she might need for their trip.

After another hour of deciding what to pack and actually packing, she was done. She had noticed Troy finished packing well ahead of her. "How did you do that?"

"I'm a guy…" he said, getting a laugh from her.

"True, very true," she said as she zipped up her suitcase. "So what time to we have to be at the airport?"

"1:30, so I suggest we get going in about 15 minutes," he said, looking at his watch. "I'm going to take the suitcases down to the car." He lifted his and lifted…well attempted to lift hers up. "Shar, just how many pairs of shoes did you pack," he asked straining to pick up the suitcase.

"Um, I don't remember," she said, turning red.

"Right." He continued out of the room, thankful that both suitcases had handles on them, but even that didn't help since her suitcase was so hard to pull. He finally, after a lot of effort had managed to get the suitcases into the car without breaking his back. As he closed the trunk, he saw his wife looking all nervous.

"What if they don't remember us? What if they decided to go with another couple? What if—" She was cut off by Troy's hand on her mouth.

"Relax, breathe, sing even," he said. "None of that is going to happen, okay," he said as he put his arm on her waist.

She nodded, still insecure about the whole thing and decided to just get in the car. Troy followed her lead and got in as well. Before he could so much as turn the key, she started up again.

"What if we can't even get to the airport? What if we get caught in so much traffic that we miss the flight? What if the car won't start?"

"First of all, I know how to get to the airport and we have a car, so I'm pretty sure we'll get there, second, it's Saturday and the highway is never as crowded as it is during the week, and third…" He turned the key and started the car. "Okay?"

She took a deep breath. "Okay." He shook his head and pulled out of the driveway and was halfway down the street when… "STOP THE CAR!" Troy put his foot on the break so fast that if they hadn't been wearing seatbelts, they wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

"What is it," he asked, rather worried.

"I forgot my cell phone!"

He sighed and turned the car around and headed back to the house. Sharpay leapt out of the car and ran into the house, grabbed her cell phone, and ran back to the car. "Okay, let's go." Troy once again backed out of the driveway and was nearly to the end of the street when… "STOP!" The car came to a screeching halt.

"What," he asked, getting a little annoyed.

"I need my…" She looked at his face. "Um, then again, it can wait," she said nervously.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

"Good," he said as he started driving again.

"On the other hand…"

"Sharpay, you have everything you need, you didn't forget anything, and if we don't go now, we will miss our plane."

"Okay," she said. "Sorry."

He sighed, "It's all right, I know you're nervous." He leaned over and kissed her. "Everything's going to be fine."

* * *

_**12 Hours Later…**_

"Well, here we are," Troy said as the two stood in front of a rather large building that looked a little rundown.

"Are you sure this is the right address," Sharpay asked.

"Yes. Now let's go inside and find Natasha," he said referring to the woman they were supposed to meet.

"Okay." She took his hand and they walked inside and looked for any sign of an office.

"May I help you," a woman who was about Sharpay's height with dark hair asked.

"Yes, we're looking for Natasha," Troy said nervously.

"I'm Natasha and you must be…" She went through a pile of paper she was carrying. "Troy and Sharpay," she said when she got to a paper that had a picture that matched Troy and Sharpay.

"That's us," Troy said.

"Well, welcome," she said cheerfully. "I'm sure you cannot wait to meet…" She fumbled through more paper. "Larissa and Anastasia."

All the two could do was nod. They were too nervous to say anything or do anything else.

"Well, before we do, I just want to warn you that these two have been through a lot and may be very stand-offish at first so don't take any of it personally."

"Don't worry, we already know what they've been through," Sharpay said, speaking for the first time since they entered the building.

"Great," Natasha said. "Well, why don't we go meet them then? They are in the playroom with a couple of other children. Follow me."

They did so and finally got to a small room that had decorations on the walls and a few toys lying on the floor. Inside were five children. Natasha walked in and over to two little girls who were playing quietly together. She said something in Russian to them and then gestured for Troy and Sharpay to come into the room. As they came closer, they saw that the older girl who they assumed was Larissa was standing with her hands on her sister's shoulders, just looking up at Sharpay and Troy.

* * *

**Hehe, another cliffhanger. How will the girls react to Troy and Sharpay and vice versa? I will try to have another chapter up this week, but no promises. Anyway, please R&R! Oh, and I am watching "Stuck in the Suburbs," so that's how I came up with the name Natasha, LOL. And the names I picked out for the girls are really Russian. I went to a website and found them.**


	6. Let's Go Home

**Okay, so here is chapter 6. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far. It really means a lot to me to get feedback on this. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Larissa, Anastasia, and any other of the 'gang's' kids I may mention.**

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_**The Additions (6?)**_

Troy took Sharpay's hand as they walked closer to the two little girls. Sharpay knelt down so that she was facing the two. "Hi there," she said sweetly, extending her hand. Larissa **(A/N: Larissa is the 3 year old, Anastasia is the 1 year old…well 16 months)** just looked at it and then up at Natasha who nodded. She shook Sharpay's hand and quickly took it back and placed it back on her sister's shoulder.

Troy decided to kneel down as well to try to get to know the girls. "It's very nice to meet you," he said with a smile. There was no response from Larissa. Instead, she seemed to back away from Troy, taking her sister with her. Troy looked up at Natasha. "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head, "No, you didn't do anything wrong." She motioned for him to walk to where she was. "Larissa is the one who was sexually abused by her father shortly before she and her sister were left here. She hasn't trusted any male figure pretty much since she was a year and a half," she said sadly.

Troy just nodded, trying to take all of this in. "Will she ever trust me?"

"I'm sure with a lot of time and effort to show that you're not going to hurt her or her sister, then yes, I'm sure you will gain her trust. For now, I suggest working on her sister. She has been here since she was only 6 months old and really didn't know her mother or father," Natasha said as she and Troy walked back over to Sharpay and the girls.

Now it was Sharpay's turn to ask a question; "Do they know English, or only Russian?"

"Both. Well, Anastasia doesn't really know either language," she said quietly.

"What do you mean," Sharpay asked as she stood up.

"Well, we think that she understands what we are saying to her in either English or Russian, but she has yet to even shake her head 'yes' or 'no.' We're not sure why though."

Sharpay nodded and went back to the girls. "What is your name," she asked Larissa quietly.

"Larissa," Larissa said very quietly, almost inaudible. "This is Ana," she said, pointing to her sister.

Sharpay smiled. "Ana, huh? Is that what you like to call her, like a nickname?"

Larissa gave Sharpay a 'huh?' look.

"Never mind," Sharpay said sweetly. "So what do you like to do here?" Larissa pointed to a doll that was by her feet. "Oh, is this yours?" The little girl nodded.

"Kikna," she said quietly.

"That means 'doll' in Russian," Natasha whispered in Sharpay's ear.

"Is that her name," Sharpay asked. Larissa looked blankly at Sharpay and then nodded.

Meanwhile, Troy was trying to get acquainted with Anastasia, who loosened herself from her sister's grip. "What's your name," Troy asked, knowing he probably wasn't going to get an answer but decided to try anyway.

As expected, Ana didn't say anything. She just looked either at the floor, ceiling, or at one of the dolls lying on the floor. Troy noticed this and picked it up for the little girl who took it and sat down and started to play with it.

Troy sat on the floor with her and found another doll and tried to interact with Ana as best he could. It seemed to be working because not long after this, the little girl smiled at the doll. Troy didn't understand why she refused to look at him for more than 5 seconds at a time, but that didn't worry him. Just the fact that she was what seemed like playing at all was something.

Sharpay, in the meantime was still talking to and playing with Larissa via the doll.

* * *

_**2 Hours Later…**_

"Well, I must say that I haven't seen Larissa open up like that to anyone who has come to visit either her or her sister. She has always held on to Anastasia's hand the entire time," Natasha said. She turned to Sharpay, "I have to admit that I am kind of shocked, in a good way of course, that she told you her name, even her sister's name for that matter."

Sharpay smiled more than she had in the past five months. "Um, I know this is going to sound pretty forward of me, but when will we know if we will be able to adopt them?"

"That will take a few more visits before we can make any final decisions," Natasha explained. "Troy, I was quite impressed with how you interacted with Anastasia. Most of the people who come in to meet them are usually taken aback by the fact that she doesn't talk, let alone make any eye contact. But I did see that more than once, she looked at you. I think she even smiled."

Troy smiled when he heard this. "So you really don't know why she doesn't talk," he asked.

"Unfortunately no, but she is a very sweet little girl…that is when her sister will let go of her and let her play. As you probably saw, Larissa is very protective. She doesn't want what happened to her to happen to her sister."

Sharpay looked at Troy with sadness in her eyes. "How could anyone do that to their children," she said as tears started to flow from her eyes.

He shook his head, "I can honestly say that I don't know. Some people just aren't meant to be parents," he said, saying the only thing that made sense to him.

"When can we see them again," Sharpay asked Natasha.

"Well, how about tomorrow? We like to have the prospective parents visit with the kids at least 3 or 4 times before both parties come to a decision," Natasha explained.

"That sounds good," Troy said. "Maybe I will try to talk to Larissa tomorrow." He looked at Sharpay who just smiled.

* * *

The next day, Troy and Sharpay arrived at the orphanage early to see the girls. Natasha welcomed them and brought them to the playroom. This time the only kids in the room were Larissa and Anastasia. They were playing with dolls and Larissa seemed to be showing Ana how to properly hold a sleeping baby, or in this case, doll.

Troy smiled at how close the two were. "Well, shall we," he asked Sharpay.

"We shall," she said as she, Troy, and Natasha walked into the room.

Larissa looked up from what she was doing and saw Sharpay first and smiled. When she saw Troy, she quickly pulled her arm and pulled Ana towards her, her smile fading away.

"It's okay," Troy said carefully and quietly.

Larissa didn't seem to hear him. She simply continued to hold her sister who was now whining to get out of Larissa's grasp. "Don't worry, it's all right," Sharpay said as she lightly took Ana from Larissa and set her about 2 feet away from her sister. Larissa seemed okay with this, since Sharpay didn't take her sister away all together. She then looked up at Troy and sat down and started to rock back and forth, crying quietly.

Troy sat down on the floor with her and very gently set his hand on her back. He could feel the little girl flinch and act as though she was ready for whatever Troy was going to do to her. He took his hand off her back. "Larissa, I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently. She looked up at him, tears still falling down her face. He decided to divert her attention. He found the doll she was playing with. "Is this yours?"

"Kikna," Larissa said aloud to Troy. He nodded.

"You play with her a lot," he asked.

She nodded and showed him how she held a baby. "She still a baby," she said quietly, looking down at the doll as she rocked her in her arms.

"I see," Troy said as he picked up another doll. "Like this?" He purposely did something different than what she was doing.

"No. Hold head in your arm." She adjusted the way in which Troy was holding the doll and when she was satisfied with the way Troy was holding the doll, she smiled to herself and continued to play.

Meanwhile, Sharpay was playing, or attempting to play with Anastasia. "I love your hair," Sharpay said as she looked at the little girl's long brown hair that came down to the middle of her back. She put a hand through it, seeing if she would get some kind of reaction. Ana looked up and over at Sharpay for a moment and then back down at the toy she had in her hands. Sharpay sighed and continued to talk to and play with the little girl, getting a little more attention from her each time.

* * *

"Well how'd we do today," Sharpay asked Natasha anxiously.

"I was really impressed with how you got Ana to respond to you playing with her," she said with a smile. She then looked over at Troy. "And I cannot believe that Larissa spoke to you and even let you play with her," she said with an even bigger smile on her face.

Troy smiled, "She really did seem to open up, didn't she?"

Sharpay took his hand, "Yeah, she did. What wonderful children," she said happily.

* * *

_**3 Weeks Later…**_

"Wow, can you believe this," Troy asked as he packed up his suitcase.

"Yes and no," Sharpay said. "I didn't think it was going to happen this fast and that we'd have such an impact on those kids."

Within only two weeks, the two had managed to really get through to Larissa and Ana. Larissa now trusted Troy; not as much as she trusted Sharpay, but there was definitely a bond growing between him and Larissa. Ana still wasn't talking, but she was making a lot of eye contact with both Troy and Sharpay. It was on the fourth visit that they received the news that the board had decided to allow Sharpay and Troy adopt both girls.

When they went to tell them what would be happening, Larissa seemed to understand that she would be leaving, but grew apprehensive when Sharpay helped pack her things in her little suitcase. "Not without Ana," she said quietly.

"Don't worry," Sharpay said as she knelt down to Larissa's height. "Ana is coming too. You are both coming to live with me and Troy," she explained.

Larissa's face brightened. "Ana is coming?"

"Yes, she is, and so is Kikna," she said as she pulled out the doll that Larissa was constantly playing with.

"Kikna!" Larissa took the doll and hugged it. She then looked up at Sharpay and hugged her. When she let go, she picked up the other doll that Ana loved to play with. "Ana's doll."

Sharpay nodded, "Yes we will take Ana's doll too. Troy is with her, helping her pack her things."

"Let's see, we have your clothes, your shoes, toys…" Troy listed as he packed up Ana's suitcase. The little girl wasn't paying any attention, however. She seemed to be looking for something. When she couldn't find it, she started to cry. "What's wrong," Troy asked as he stopped packing and rushed over to the little girl. She responded with more crying. "Um, your shoes?" He showed her the shoes, but she kept on crying. "Your dresses," he asked, holding up one of the dresses that Ana had. She continued to cry. Troy was at a loss until Sharpay and Larissa entered the room.

"What's wrong," Sharpay asked.

"She was looking for something and the started to cry. I have no idea what she is looking for," he said.

Larissa smiled and held up a doll and walked to her sister. She tapped her on the shoulder and held up the doll. Ana stopped crying as if nothing had happened and held the doll to her chest and smiled.

Troy nodded, "Thank you, Larissa." He kissed her head. "Well, it looks like we're all set," he said as Natasha came into the room.

"Almost all set," she said holding a bunch of paperwork in her hands. "I just need to you two to sign these where you see the red arrows." There had to be about 30 arrows.

After signing in all of the required areas, Natasha handed Sharpay and Troy an envelope. "And of course, you can't leave without these," she said.

"What is this," Troy asked as he opened it. He smiled at the contents inside.

"What is it," Sharpay asked. He showed her the two birth certificates and the little feet that had been stamped on each one. Sharpay once again could feel tears come into her eyes. This time, however, they were tears of joy.

After another 15 minutes, the four left the building and set out for the airport. Both girls were rather frightened of being out in the 'real world.' Sharpay was carrying Ana and Troy was carrying Larissa who clung to Troy for dear life. When they arrived at the airport, the showed their passports (they had gotten Larissa's and Ana's a couple of days earlier) and went to the terminal and through security and finally to the gate.

"Are you two ready to go home," Troy asked.

The response from both girls was a smile with Larissa saying, "Yes, home."

* * *

**Wow, I certainly did not intend for that to be as long as it was, LOL. I just got so into the writing. Anyway, please remember that I am not an expert on adoption. So what do you think is wrong with Ana? Why does she never say a word? How will the girls react to being in a totally new environment and what will Troy and Sharpay's family and friends think? Stay tuned! And please remember to R&R!**


	7. A Few Surprises

**Chapter 7! I would like to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed this story so far. It really means a lot when you do this, so please continue in doing so!**

**I'm very tired right now (I worked all day), so this chapter may be shorter than the others.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the people I made up. Other than that, I own nothing.**

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_**The Additions (7?)**_

15 hours after going to the airport, boarding the plane, and flying back to New Mexico, Troy, Sharpay, and the kids were finally getting ready to go home. Both kids did exceptionally well on the flight home, considering the fact that neither child had ever traveled by plane, let alone by car anywhere before. After getting their luggage, Troy carried Larissa and Sharpay carried Ana out to the car.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Troy said as they reached the car. He pushed the button to open the trunk which made Larissa gasp. "What's wrong, honey," he asked.

She didn't say anything since she was too busy looking at the lights that had just blinked when Troy had opened the trunk. "Troy, I don't think they have ever been in a car before," Sharpay said quietly to him.

"Ah, okay." He smiled and let Larissa click the 'unlock' button on the remote, causing her to be in awe once again as she saw the lights blink again. "Here they are," Troy said as he removed two car seats from the back. Since they had an SUV, it was easy to put both of them in the trunk.

"What's that," Larissa asked as she examined the two mysterious seats in front of her.

"These," Troy said picking one up and opening the back door, "Are your car seats. They are going to keep you and your sister safe whenever we go anywhere in the car." He placed the car seat in the car and fastened it in. "You ready," he asked.

Still in shock at what Troy was doing, she barely managed a nod. "Uh huh," she said quietly.

He smiled and lifted the little girl up and placed her into the car seat and buckled her up. "There we go," he said once she was safely in her seat.

"What about Ana," she asked.

Troy just smiled and got the other car seat and walked around to the other side of the car and placed it inside. "Here is Ana's seat," he said. Larissa just gave him a look of approval which made Troy smile.

"Here, I'll put her in," Sharpay said as she carried the 16 month old to the car and placed her into her seat. She couldn't help but to notice that Ana quickly became strangely intrigued by the little cup holder that was next to the car seat **(A/N: Yes, they do that with many car seats now, lol. I cannot believe that they didn't have that when I was little! Anyway, on with the story)**, but didn't think much of it. She strapped Ana in and closed the door.

By now, Troy had gotten all of the suitcases loaded into the car and got into the front seat and put on his seatbelt, as did Sharpay. "Okay, are you two ready to go home," he asked as he looked in the rearview mirror.

Larissa nodded, but Ana was still obsessed with the cup holder beside her seat. She had been running her fingers through it over and over again. "I think we can take that as a yes," Sharpay said.

Troy nodded and started the car, causing another reaction from Larissa. "What was that!" She looked rather frightened.

"Don't worry," Sharpay said. "That's just what a car sounds like. You'll get used to it, I promise," she said with a smile. Larissa just smiled back and nodded.

The ride home was pretty quiet. Sharpay glanced back to the girls every now and then, just to make sure they were okay. Larissa was staring out the window as Ana was slowly falling asleep.

"We're home," Troy said as they pulled into the driveway.

"Wow," Larissa said as she stared at the large red brick home that was in front of her. "That is my house?"

"That is your house," Sharpay said with a smile. "This is where you and Ana are going to live now." She smiled at Troy and then looked around her. "Um Troy, was this car here when we left," she asked, seeing an unfamiliar car next to his.

"Doesn't look like yours, since I'm pretty sure yours is in the garage," he said as he turned off the car and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Maybe one of the neighbors is having a party or something. Remember we did say that they could use our driveway."

She nodded, "That is true," she said as she got out of the car and undid Ana's seatbelt and helped her out of the car. "Look Ana, this is your new home," she said, pointing to the house. But Ana was only interested in the bricks on the driveway. "Hmm, Troy I am kind of worried about her," she said quietly.

"It's probably just a lot for her to take in at once," he said, not wanting her to know that he was a little worried as well. He sighed and helped Larissa out of her seat. "So, what do you think," he asked once she was out.

"It is pretty," she said as she looked everywhere from the garage to the front door to the second story.

"I'm glad you approve," Sharpay said with a smile. "Come on; let's bring in the luggage later. I … we want to show you guys the inside."

"There is more," Larissa asked, shocked.

"Indeed there is," Troy said as he pulled out the house key and unlocked the front door. "Larissa, Ana, welcome ho…" But he was stopped by a bunch of people yelling…

"SURPRISE!"

This caused not only Troy and Sharpay to jump about a mile in the air, but Larissa as well. Ana looked around, eyes wide open, stunned. "Wow, um, so that would explain the car in the driveway," Troy said aside to Sharpay who just nodded.

"Hey, you two!" Troy's mom and dad and Sharpay's father **(A/N: Remember in "Changes" I had said that Sharpay and Ryan's mom had walked out on them when they were little)** said as they hugged their kids.

"Mom, dad, I'm…shocked," Troy said, not able to think of anything else to say.

"It's nice to see you too, son," Jack Bolton said with a laugh. He then looked over at Larissa who now had her head in Troy's chest and was shaking a little. "And you must be Larissa," Jack said to the 3 year old who very slowly looked up when she heard her name.

She just nodded her head and looked to Troy and Sharpay for help. "Larissa, this is my mom and dad and this is your mom's dad," he said quietly to the little girl who was still rather frightened. "It's okay," he whispered, "They're nice." The scared little girl then looked over at Troy's parents and gave them a small smile. As long as Troy said they were okay, then they must be okay.

"Don't forget about us," came other voices.

"Gabi! Ryan!" Sharpay said, shocked. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"What do you think we're doing here, silly," Ryan said as he gave his sister a kiss on the cheek and a hug. "We came to surprise you two and to congratulate your family!"

Sharpay smiled at Troy who smiled at everyone else. Gabi and Ryan had brought their daughter Theresa, now 6 with them as well. Troy then looked up and saw more people still: Chad, Taylor, and their 7 year old son James and 4 year old daughter Jennifer; Jason, Kelsi, and 5 ½ year old Katie.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise," Troy said as he hugged his best friend Chad and his wife Taylor. "How long have you guys been in town," Troy asked, still holding Larissa, now clinging to Troy for dear life.

"For about 2 days," Taylor said. "We thought we'd show the kids where we went to school, where we used to live, you know, all that great stuff," she said as she smiled and walked over to Sharpay and gave her a hug.

"Well it's great to have you all here," Sharpay said as she looked at Ana who started to yawn. "Maybe it's time to put Ana down for a n…wait a minute," Sharpay said, looking over at Troy, panicked.

"What's wrong," Troy asked.

"We don't have a crib for Ana and we don't have a proper bed for Larissa," she said, eyes wide.

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong," Troy's mother said.

"What are you talking about," Troy asked, confused. "I specifically remember forgetting to do anything in the room we were going to make for the girls."

Everyone smiled at Sharpay and Troy. "Come and see," Sharpay's dad said. "We hooked you guys up."

Sharpay blushed at this comment. Since when did her father say things like that? At any rate, she and Troy followed her dad, Troy's parents, and everyone else up the stairs and to the door that led to the room that the girls were going to share. "Go ahead, open it," Gabi said excitedly.

Troy and Sharpay shrugged and opened the door. Their jaws nearly hit the floor when they saw what was inside. The wall had been painted a light purple with a darker purple trim; there were stuffed animals in several places; toys on top of the dressers, a changing table (fully stocked), and two beds: one was a crib for Ana and one was a twin bed with guardrails for Larissa.

"Oh my gosh," Troy managed to say after about 5 minutes of just looking around.

"Well, do you like it," Ryan asked.

"Like it? We love it!" Sharpay said as she hugged everyone.

"Yeah, this is great," Troy said. "Thank you so much."

"Well, we knew you were going to forget something important, so we figured we would help you out a little bit," Troy's mother said.

He smiled and set Larissa down, allowing her to explore her and Ana's new room. She immediately looked over at the bed. "My bed," she asked, once again shocked.

"Yes, your bed," Troy said as he knelt down beside her. He remembered Natasha telling him and Sharpay that the kids had to share nearly everything in the orphanage, even beds, which made both Troy and Sharpay very uncomfortable. Larissa now had a huge grin on her face as she hugged Troy happily and placed her doll on the bed.

"Kikna's bed too," she said pointedly.

"Whose," Ryan asked quietly.

Sharpay smiled. "That's her doll, it actually means 'doll' in Russian," she said as she watched Larissa get on the bed and pretend to put the doll to sleep.

"Shhh, Kikna is sleeping," Larissa said as she walked back over to Sharpay and Troy.

Troy let out a little chuckle. "Okay," he said quietly. He then looked over to the crib. "And this must be Ana's," he said, mainly to Ana who was surveying the bed.

"What do you think, Ana," Gabi asked. Ana wasn't listening though. She was too busy playing with the bars on the crib.

"Um, is she okay," Gabi asked Sharpay quietly.

"I think so. She is still adjusting," she said, in denial that she knew something was probably wrong since Ana had yet to utter one single word since they met her and were told that she hadn't ever spoken a single word.

* * *

"Why do we have to close our eyes," Troy asked as his parents guided him and Sharpay and the girls through the house.

"Because if you open them, you won't be surprised," his mother answered as they stepped out into the backyard. "Okay, open them!"

Once again, Troy and Sharpay's jaws hit the ground. There, in front of them was a full-blown swing set/mini playground, complete with a slide, steps, and three swings, one of which was meant for a little child around Ana's age. "Oh…wow," was all Sharpay could manage.

"Yeah, uh…wow," Troy said, repeating his wife. Larissa stared in amazement at the equipment. They didn't anything like this at the orphanage. There was a little slide in the playroom, but that was it.

After a while, Larissa decided that she had wanted to see the rest of the house, so Troy and Sharpay showed her and Ana everything from their room to the basement. The two also noticed that their parents had bought a few separators (sorry, I can't remember what those are called!) so that the girls couldn't accidentally fall down the stairs or go where they weren't allowed to go.

Then it was time for the barbeque. Troy and Sharpay were talking to Gabi, Ryan, and their parents while everyone else was either in the backyard or somewhere else in the house. Ana was laying down for a nap since she had pretty much fallen asleep in Sharpay's arms when they were showing her and Larissa the house.

Then out of nowhere, there was a loud scream, followed by crying. Troy and Sharpay recognized it as being Larissa and hurried to the backyard, where Larissa was. Troy saw her curled up on the ground, crying and shaking. He looked at everyone that was near her, all baffled as to why the little girl got so scared all of a sudden. He picked her up and rubbed her back, assuring her that it was alright. "What happened," he asked.

"Well, I had come over to her and asked if she wanted to play with Jennifer, and when she didn't answer I just sort of tapped her on the shoulder and she … well freaked out," Chad said, looking rather guilty.

Troy just nodded, "Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong," he said as he handed Larissa, still shaking and crying to Sharpay. He then went on to explain to Chad and everyone else what had happened to the little girl before she came to the orphanage and why she was so scared of people, mainly men. Chad shook his head in disbelief, "I cannot believe anyone would do that to their own child. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to scare her," he said, still looking like he had done something to the little girl.

"Don't feel guilty," Troy said. "How could you have known?"

* * *

After everyone had left, it was 7:30. Ana had woken up about 30 minutes after she went to sleep so she was once again walking around her room, playing with various toys. Larissa was also in her room, looking nervous since this was her first night in a completely different environment.

"Okay now remember where our room is," Sharpay asked Larissa.

"Over there," Larissa said pointing to the room right across the hall.

"That's right, and if you need anything, and I mean anything during the night, you just come in there and let us know, okay?"

"Okay."

"We'll also have this," Sharpay said, holding up a baby monitor. "Just in case you have a bad dream or something, one of us can come in here and make sure everything is okay."

Larissa just nodded and yawned. "Well I think that someone is definitely ready for bed," Troy said as he walked in with Ana, who had just gotten a bath. Larissa had been given one a while ago. He set the little girl in her crib and she fell asleep right away. Troy kissed her cheek and then walked over to Larissa and Sharpay. "So are you all ready for bed," he asked.

"Yep." She lay down and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

Troy and Sharpay quietly exited the room and walked into theirs. "Wow," Sharpay said. "I can't believe we have a family," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Yeah, they are great kids aren't they," Troy said as he pulled Sharpay into a hug and kissed her.

She smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For convincing me that adoption was what we should do. Otherwise we wouldn't have met these two wonderful kids," she said with a smile.

"Very true," he said as he pulled her into another hug.

* * *

It wasn't until 1:00 AM that they were awakened by a strange noise followed by a loud cry that could only be Larissa's. The two bolted up and looked at one another before getting out of bed to see what was wrong.

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**Bwahahaha, I'm so evil. Another cliffhanger. And I guess this chapter was a little longer than I thought it would be, LOL. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! I am hoping to have another one up tomorrow…depending on how many reviews I get. ;) Anyway, please R&R!**


	8. She Has What?

**All right, here is chapter 8. Hope you enjoy and yes I will explain what is going on with Ana soon! **

**Disclaimer: I only own the people who I made up. All others belong to Disney.**

_**The Additions (8?)**_

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Troy and Sharpay got out of bed as quickly as possible and went into the girls' bedroom. Troy turned on the light switch and saw Ana sitting up in bed, crying. She had gotten sick all over herself, which explained the strange noise he and Sharpay heard in their room. "I could have sworn that was Larissa's cry," Troy said.

Sharpay rushed over to Ana and pulled the covers off of her as well as her pajama top. "It's okay, sweetie," she said as she lifted the still crying girl out of bed and rushed her to the bathroom where she promptly got sick again.

Troy looked over at Larissa and saw that she was awake, but assured her that her sister would be okay and with that, she fell back asleep. Troy breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly began to strip Ana's bed. After he had done so, he got another pair of pajamas for her and went into the bathroom where Sharpay and Ana still were. She had calmed down a bit now, but was still whimpering. "How are you feeling," he asked as he handed Sharpay the pajamas, since she had already undressed Ana and was waiting for Troy to bring in another pair of pajamas.

Ana's response to Troy's question was more crying.

"I think it's 'first night nerves,'" Sharpay said as she slipped on the new pair of pajamas. "I remember getting them all the time when I was little, especially after my mom left. My mom always came to our plays and always gave us little pep talks the night before the show," Sharpay said. She sighed and continued, "Anyway, after she left, every time Ryan and I had a show, I was sick the night before opening night."

Troy nodded, understanding what she meant. "When I first started playing basketball, the same would happen to me. I'd be so nervous that I'd make myself sick the night before." He paused and looked back at Ana. "So do you think that's what this is, or do you think she might have a bug?"

"She's probably just scared," she said as she felt her forehead, just to be on the safe side. "Does she feel warm to you?"

Troy felt her head, "Yeah. I'll go get the thermometer."

"Thanks." She turned her attention back to Ana. "What's wrong, sweetie? Does it hurt here," she asked, touching her stomach. Ana just looked at Sharpay and started to cry again. Sharpay was worried now. Not only had Ana just gotten sick, but she couldn't even point to where it hurt, let alone answer her.

Troy returned with a worried Larissa and the thermometer. "Sorry, she was getting worried," he said as he handed Sharpay the thermometer.

"She's not the only one," Sharpay said. "Troy, I can't even get Ana to _show_ me where it hurts, even when I pointed to her stomach. Something isn't right."

He nodded, "I wonder if it's just something that happens with people she doesn't know."

"Ana never talks," Larissa supplied. "Only cries and makes weird noises," she said with a shrug since she was probably used to this sort of thing.

"When she got sick like this or hurt herself, did she ever point to where it hurt," Sharpay asked.

She shook her head 'no.'

Just then the thermometer beeped. Sharpay looked at it. "99.6, which technically isn't a fever, but it is a little higher than average. Then again, I read that little kids tend to run on the high side, especially when something like this happens."

"Well, what should we do," Troy asked. "Do you think she has a bug? I mean, one can get the stomach flu without running a fever."

"True, but I don't think that's what it is." She shook her head. "I am really worried about her, Troy. She doesn't say a word and yet she's 16 months old and should be able to do that, she barely makes eye contact with us, and she has been obsessed with very strange objects like the car seat and the bars on her crib."

"Maybe we can schedule an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow," Troy suggested. "She may know of a specialist we can go to."

She nodded, "Good idea. In the meantime, I think that someone needs to be getting back to bed," Sharpay said looking in Larissa's direction.

"What about Ana," she asked, genuinely worried about her little sister.

"She'll be okay, trust me." She gave Larissa a reassuring smile. "Come on; let's get you back to bed." Sharpay picked Larissa up and carried her back to her room.

After another 10 minutes, Ana seemed to be fine, so Troy decided to take her back to her room. He set her in her crib and she fell asleep after about 5 minutes.

* * *

Troy had managed to get Ana an appointment at 10:30 AM, so the four of them left the house early enough to be able to fill out all of the necessary information for the girls. 

"Here we are," Troy said as he parked the car in the parking lot.

Sharpay looked at the building and then at the girls. "Okay, let's go," she said as she got out of the car and helped Ana out of her car seat. "So what's the name of the doctor again?"

"Dr. Turner," Troy replied as he got Larissa out of the car. "Hopefully she'll have some answers for us, since she also specializes in childhood mental disorders."

"Mental disorders," Sharpay said, in shock. "You think that something is mentally wrong with her?"

"It couldn't hurt to find out," he said as they continued to walk to the doctor's office. Once inside, Troy went to the receptionist. "We have a 10:30 appointment with Dr. Turner," he said to the woman.

"Name, please?"

"Anastasia Bolton," Troy said. He looked at Sharpay. "I like the sound of that."

She barely smiled. She was too worried about what their daughter might have. "Yeah," she said quietly.

The receptionist gave Troy the required papers to fill out and told them to give them back to her when they were finished and that the doctor would see them in a few minutes.

They sat down in some chairs that weren't too near anyone else. Troy saw the worried look on Sharpay's face. "Hey, whatever it is, just remember that we're in this together, all right?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm just…you know, scared," she said as she held onto Ana a little tighter. She didn't want anything to be wrong with her, but knew it was better to find out now rather than later.

"I know, I am too," he said as he took her hand.

"Me too," Larissa said as she took her sister's hand. "Ana is okay."

Sharpay smiled, "I'm sure you're right, sweetheart. We just want to make sure."

After the two were finished filling out the paperwork, Troy went and handed it back to the receptionist. A few minutes later, a nurse came out. "Anastasia Bolton?"

Troy and Sharpay stood up, holding both girls. "That's us," Sharpay said.

"Follow me, please," the nurse said with a smile. "So, which one is Anastasia," she asked.

"She is," Sharpay said, referring to the little girl in her arms.

"Very good," she said as she escorted them into an examining room. "So what seems to be wrong with Anastasia, or is she just here for a checkup?"

Sharpay looked over at Troy. He explained to the nurse what was going on.

"Why didn't you see the doctor sooner," she asked in a somewhat accusatory tone.

"Hey, we just adopted these girls from Russia," Sharpay said getting defensive.

The nurse looked very embarrassed, "I'm sorry, it's just we get a lot of patients in here with similar problems that the parents have chosen to ignore. I didn't know you just adopted them. Are there any medical records from her physician in Russia?"

"Well, we adopted them from an orphanage and…well they weren't exactly seen by doctors on a regular basis," Troy said.

"I see. Well, the doctor should be in shortly." And with that, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Sharpay sighed heavily, "Well that was awkward," she said, hoping they weren't going to see her again.

Troy nodded in agreement. Before he could say anything, however, a woman who looked to be about 35 walked into the room. She had a sort of pleasantness about her that made Sharpay feel better.

"Good morning," she said. "I'm Dr. Amanda Turner and this must be Anastasia," she said as she walked over to the toddler.

"Yes, this is Ana," Sharpay said. "I'm Sharpay and this is my husband Troy and our other daughter Larissa."

The doctor smiled, "I see. And I also notice that you two just recently adopted them, is that correct?"

The two nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we actually just got home a couple of days ago," Troy said.

The doctor nodded, "Okay." She jotted something down. "So what seems to be the problem?"

Troy told the doctor exactly what he told the nurse. "We just don't know what to do about it," he said, now sounding a little nervous.

"Don't worry; you definitely came to the right place. I need to start out by asking you some questions that may seem a little scary to answer, but they will help me to further understand the situation, okay?"

"We'll do the best we can," Sharpay said.

Dr. Turner nodded, "Very good. So when did you first notice that Ana seemed to be distant?"

"The first day we met her," Sharpay said. "She looked up at us for about 10 seconds and then went back to playing with the toy she had in her hands. And when we came back to visit her and her sister, Ana never said one word. At first we thought she was just scared and shy, but after visiting with her several times, she still didn't say anything to us or look at us for more than 10 seconds," Sharpay said, tears beginning to moisten her eyes.

"Do you mind if I try to talk to her, just to see exactly what kind of reaction I may get from her," the doctor asked.

"Uh, I guess," Troy said uneasily. Were they missing something here? He looked over at Sharpay.

"Yeah, I guess so…" She felt just as uneasy as Troy did.

"Thank you." Dr. Turner gently took Ana from Sharpay's arms, which was not easy since Ana seemed very interested in the buttons on Sharpay's shirt. She was eventually able to pry Ana from Sharpay and set her on the table which thankfully hand rails on either side. Dr. Turner tried to get the little girl's attention, but was unsuccessful and wrote something down. She then handed her a toy, which Ana ignored, since she was busy playing with the paper on the table. "Hmm, has she been sick at all recently, like having diarrhea or vomiting," she asked Troy and Sharpay.

"Actually she got sick twice last night," Troy said. "How did you know?"

The doctor took a deep breath before continuing. "Truth be told, I have seen this kind of behavior in many children, some the same age range, and some a little older. Unfortunately, it isn't something you are going to like hearing," she said.

Troy took Sharpay's hand. "Please, tell us, what it is, or what you suspect it is," Troy said.

"Well, I have a gut feeling that Ana here has a mental disorder known as Autism," she said honestly.

"You think she's autistic," Sharpay asked, not totally shocked.

"I do, and the reason I suspect this is because she is displaying all of the signs of someone with a pervasive development disorder, otherwise known as PDD. We usually see children around Ana's age with signs of it, such as no verbal skills, problems using and understanding language, difficulty with non-verbal communication which include gestures and facial expressions, and difficulty of relating to people. You see, normally at 16 months, a child will be able to at least say a few words here and there like 'mommy' or 'daddy' or even 'toy.' But since Ana is showing no signs of that, I went to see if she would play with the toy that I provided here, but she then showed another classic sign which is when the child is preoccupied another object or a part of an object. You mentioned the bars on her crib and the cup holder on her car seat?" Troy and Sharpay nodded. "Well, as you probably know, children at this age normally like to play with toys that make noise or make up noises for toys or dolls, but she has done neither, am I correct?" Once again, the two nodded. "This is why I suspect she is autistic."

Troy and Sharpay were too shocked to say anything. Sharpay just wiped her eyes which were now full of tears. "So um, is there anything we can do about it, I mean is there a cure? And what about her throwing up last night?"

"One of the symptoms of a PDD is fearfulness or nervousness and I think she may have been very nervous about something. You mentioned it was their first night in the house?"

"Yes," Troy said quietly.

"Okay, that is probably why she got sick, and to answer your questions Mrs. Bolton, no, there is no cure for autism, but there is something you can do about it."

"What would that be, and how did she get it," Troy asked.

"Well to be honest, it is still somewhat of a mystery as to how children develop PDDs, but there is evidence that it is genetic, so her father or mother may have had it, possibly even a grandparent. As for treating it, I highly suggest praising her when she does something right and basically just supporting her positive behavior. She may need to be in some special education classes down the road, just so her needs will be able to be met. I also suggest speech therapy for her. She is showing no signs of being unable to walk, so that is good. But I would definitely suggest speech therapy and maybe occupational therapy as well."

"When would we want to get started with all of this," Sharpay asked.

"For the speech therapy, I suggest when she turns 18 months old. I know that you want her to be able to speak as soon as possible, but considering the fact that she has just moved to a completely new environment, I would like for her to be with just the two…sorry, three of you for a couple of months. Let her adjust to this environment." She looked at Troy and Sharpay's worried expressions. "The faster you get started with all of this, the better the outlook is. There is no cure for autism, but with speech therapy and both of you working on supporting her positive behavior and lowering your expectations for certain things; the easier it will be for her as she gets older."

Troy and Sharpay just sat there, trying to digest all of this information they just received. "Um, thank you very much, doctor," Troy said.

"You're welcome. Here, let me give you two a little pamphlet on autism to look over and give you some names of some great speech and occupational therapists I know of." She jotted down some names on a piece of paper. "I will be right back with the pamphlet," she said as she got up and left the room.

"Autism," Sharpay said, still in disbelief. "I…I just don't get it," she said as she wiped a few tears from her eyes.

Troy took her hand and squeezed it. "We'll be okay. We just have to remember to do what the doctor said."

"Ana will be okay," Larissa said speaking for the first time since the doctor entered the room. "I still love her." Tears started streaming down her face.

"Oh sweetheart," Sharpay said as she pulled Larissa into a hug, "We love her too, don't think that we don't love either of you for even a second. Okay? You two are the most important people in our lives."

"She's right," Troy said as he picked up a now scared looking Ana. "We love you two no matter what. And that will never, I repeat never change." Larissa nodded and hugged her little sister.

The doctor soon came back with a couple of pamphlets. One was on autism and the other on PDDs in general. "Thank you, doctor," Troy said as he and Sharpay got up. They had no idea what they were going to do next, except love her as much as they could.

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**First off, I got all the information on autism and pervasive development disorder (PDD) from a website that won't let me post it here! Anyway, it's from Web MD. Just type in "Autism." I'm no expert in this area, but I have dealt with children who have a PDD of some sort and it is very difficult, but they are so loving! Thirdly, I don't know how many more chapters I'm going to do. Please let me know if you want me to end this soon or not. Thanks! And remember to R&R!**


	9. Getting Started

**Hello again! I am now posting chapter 9 (this story is longer than many stories that I've written!). **

**I would like to quickly thank everyone who reviewed my previous chapter; I was a little nervous about posting it because of all the drama and medical stuff (I'm not a doctor, LOL), but I am glad you all liked it! Plus I was unsure as to how you would like or not like all the angst I put into it with little Ana. I'm glad you all like it though. That really, really makes me feel good. Also, I want to add that I worked with a little boy last year who hasn't been diagnosed yet, but most likely has a PDD; it is much more severe, however. He banged his head against the wall in addition to the other challenges he had, which included being unable to speak. It was really sad but he is such a sweet little boy!**

**Anyway…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the people I made up, so please don't sue. **

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_**The Additions (9?)**_

**Two Months Later…**

It had been two months since Anastasia was diagnosed with Autism. Troy and Sharpay had taken Dr. Turner's advice about being the best parents they could with supporting Ana and praising her positive behavior. She had yet to utter a word, but she had started to babble a little bit, which made both feel that if they continued with what they were doing, things would continue to improve with their daughter.

"Hmm, how about Jane Barish," Sharpay said as she looked through the list of speech therapists for Ana to see.

Troy looked at her credentials. "Well, she definitely has had a lot of success with children, but look at the ages of the children that she works with," he said as he pointed to one of the lines on the page.

"Yeah, but 24 months isn't that much older," Sharpay said. "Remember, Ana is 18 months now; only 6 months younger than many of the kids that this woman has worked with."

He sighed and looked again. "Look at this though; it says that at least half the patients' parents weren't happy with the results and took their children to see another therapist." He sat down and looked over at Ana who was sitting on the floor in the living room playing with her stuffed bear. He couldn't help but to smile as he watched her make the bear bounce up and down while making 'sound effects.'

"Yeah but that doesn't mean that we can't at least give her a try," she argued back as she highlighted her name. Maybe we can at least call her and to a test-run…"

He shrugged, "I don't know, Shar. I am not sure if I want some stranger to be working so close with her."

Sharpay stood up. "What are you talking about! You don't want your daughter to be able to speak…ever," she said, her voice rising as she spoke. "She isn't going to just all of a sudden start talking you know. Or did you forget to read the pamphlet that the doctor gave us?" She said sarcastically.

"I read the pamphlet about 100 times, okay? I just don't know if she's ready…"

"You mean you don't know if _you're _ready for this. You don't know if you're ready to admit that our daughter has a learning disability. Is this why you won't let any of our family or friends know about this," she asked, beginning to pace around the room.

He shook his head, "I just…I need to get out of here," he said as he grabbed his keys and walked out the front door and to his car.

Sharpay let out an angry sigh and sat back down and looked over at Ana who was still playing with her bear, oblivious to what was going on around her. Sharpay then heard someone walk into the room, crying softly. She looked up and saw Larissa. "Did daddy leave," she asked, looking frightened that her family was already falling apart.

Sharpay gestured for Larissa to come sit by her, "Come here, sweetie." She came over and sat next to Sharpay. She wiped Larissa's eyes with a tissue and sat her in her lap. "No, daddy didn't leave, at least not how you may have thought he did. We just had an…argument."

"About Ana," asked Larissa who looked in her sister's direction.

"Sort of, but don't you worry," Sharpay said as she held back tears that wanted to fall down her cheeks. "Everything is going to be all right, you'll see." Sharpay managed to give her a weak smile.

"Okay." She looked down at her shoes and then back at Sharpay, "Will he come home?"

Sharpay could barely contain her tears. She looked in the opposite direction and quickly wiped them away so her daughter wouldn't see her crying. She then looked back at Larissa, "Yes, he will come home. Sometimes grownups need to be by themselves and think," she said.

"I want to think with him," Larissa said sadly.

"Yeah, I do too." Sharpay thought for a moment. "You know, I think I may know where daddy might be. Should we go check?"

Larissa nodded her head 'yes.'

"Okay. Let's get your sister and go then." Sharpay gathered up Ana (and her bear) and Larissa followed them out to Sharpay's car. She put the two into their car seats and drove to a nearby park where they saw Troy's car. "I knew it," Sharpay said under her breath.

Troy threw one more ball into the basket when he heard a car approaching. He turned around and saw none other than Sharpay and the kids. He took a deep breath and turned back around and wiped his face, not wanting his daughters or his wife for that matter; see that he had a few tears in his eyes from their argument.

Sharpay got both kids out of the car and before she could tell Larissa to wait, she saw the little girl dart towards Troy. "Daddy!"

"Hi sweetheart," Troy said as he set the ball down and picked up the little girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you left," she said, her eyes getting teary again.

He could feel his eyes moisten again as well, "I would never leave you guys. I love you all too much," he said with a small smile. He looked past Larissa and saw Sharpay and Ana walking towards them. "Hey, why don't you show your sister how you can dribble a basketball, okay," he asked as he set Larissa down.

Larissa looked from her mom to her dad. She then took one of Sharpay's hands and one of Troy's hands and put them together so they were now holding each other's hands. "Now I will," she said as she walked with Ana to gather up the ball and dribble…sort of.

Troy didn't let go of Sharpay's hand. "She's some kid, huh," he said as he looked over at their daughter.

"Yeah, she is. She thought that you uh, that you left for good," Sharpay said as she looked down at her feet. "I – thought for a few minutes that you had too," she said quietly.

Troy sighed and cupped Sharpay's chin with his hand, "I could never do that. I just needed to think, you know? It's just I'm…I'm scared, Shar. What if no matter how many doctors she sees, Ana doesn't talk? What do we do then?"

Sharpay wiped his tears away. "Then we love her as much as humanly possible," she said as she leaned into him and closed her eyes.

"I like that," he said as he stroked her hair. The two looked at one another and were about to kiss when they heard a loud…

"MOMMY! DADDY! Come quick," Larissa yelled.

The two hurried to where she and Ana were. Neither one of them appeared to be hurt, but they were still worried. "What is it, what's wrong," Troy asked.

"Nothing! Ana talked!" A wide grin spread across Larissa's face.

"What!" Sharpay was in disbelief. She looked over at Ana who was staring at the basketball. "Are you sure you didn't hear her just babble or something, honey?"

Before Larissa could respond, all three heard a very, very soft, "Ma, da," come from Ana, who was now looking up at Sharpay and Troy.

Sharpay nearly fell into Troy's arms. "Wh…oh my gosh," she said, fresh tears streaming from her eyes.

Troy caught Sharpay before she could fall and had the same reaction. "Oh my gosh," he said quietly as he smiled. Their little girl had just uttered not one, but two words. "I don't believe it," he whispered.

"Me neither," Sharpay said as she hugged Troy and then bent down and hugged Ana.

"I say we call that doctor," Troy said after a few minutes of silence.

Sharpay looked at Troy, smiling. "I think we should too."

* * *

_**Two Weeks Later…**_

Not long after Ana spoke, Troy and Sharpay decided to tell their family and friends about Ana's condition. Everyone had been understanding and surprisingly not overbearing and worried. Troy and Sharpay had also decided to call Dr. Barish and get an appointment to meet with her to see if she could help Ana learn to talk.

"Okay, here are the emergency numbers," Sharpay said, pointing to a rather long list of numbers on the fridge. "And here is the doctor's phone number, poison control…"

"Sharpay, no offense, but I think we know what we're doing here," Gabi said. She and Ryan had offered to look after Larissa while Troy and Sharpay took Ana to the doctor.

"Right, sorry. It's just that we've never left either of them alone with anyone but either my dad or Troy's parents, so we're a little –"

"Freaked," Ryan supplied.

"Yeah, I guess that's the best word for it," Sharpay said, embarrassed.

"Everything will be fine, and we will call you guys if something happens, okay? Good luck with Ana and that doctor," Gabi said as she gave her sister-in-law a hug. "She is in good hands."

"Mommy! Larissa won't let me play with her doll," yelled Theresa as she stomped into the kitchen.

Sharpay just looked from Ryan to Gabi. "Everything will be fine," Ryan said quickly as he went and talked to Theresa about sharing…again.

Troy walked into the kitchen, Ana in his arms. "Okay, you ready?"

"Almost. I just need to grab my…"

"Purse," Troy said, holding Sharpay's purse in front of her.

"Yes, that. Oh, I also need to get my…"

"List of questions to ask the doctor," Gabi supplied, handing her a list.

"Yeah, thanks." She blushed and put the list into her purse. "Okay, I'm good to go now."

Troy waited an extra few seconds, seeing if there was anything else Sharpay had forgotten. When she didn't say anything, he started to walk to the garage door. "Okay, let's go then."

Sharpay followed him, but right as they got to the door, she stopped. "Wait! I forgot to say goodbye to Larissa!" Troy suppressed a laugh as he watched Sharpay dart up the stairs.

"She did the same thing when we were going to the airport to go see the girls," he explained to Gabi. "Only I think I had to turn the car around a couple of times." He laughed at the memory.

"Theresa does the same thing. She thinks she has everything she needs for school, but always thinks of at least three things she needs…thus making me turn the car around three times and go back home," Gabi said.

He laughed, "She really is a miniature Sharpay, isn't she?"

"Who is," Sharpay asked as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Theresa," Gabi said. "She is a lot like you when you were little, or so Ryan says."

"Oh…right," Sharpay said, laughing. She turned to Troy. "Okay I have everything I need, I did everything I needed to do, now let's go before I do it again," she said giving Gabi a quick hug.

"We'll see you later," Troy said as he followed Sharpay to the garage.

* * *

"Shar, you're making me dizzy here," Troy said as he watched his wife pace around the waiting room.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous."

"A little?"

"Okay, I'm very nervous, but aren't you? I mean this woman who claims to be a wonderful doctor is going to very possibly be working with our daughter. Don't tell me you're not nervous."

"Of course I am," he said as he pulled her into the seat next to him. "But I think that for Ana's sake we should remain as calm as possible."

"Good idea," she said as she flipped through a magazine two to three pages at a time.

"Shar…"

"What," she asked before realizing what she was doing. "Oh yeah, right." She set the magazine down and took a few deep breaths.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bolton," asked a woman who looked to be only a couple of years older than them.

"That's us," Troy said, standing up.

"Hi, I'm Jane Barish, it's nice to meet you," she said as she shook both of their hands.

"Nice to meet you too," Sharpay said quietly.

"And this must be Ana," she said as she looked at the little girl in Troy's arms.

"Yep, the one and only," he said proudly.

"Why don't we come into my office," she asked.

The two nodded and followed her to a very nice looking office, complete with a little table and chairs for children. Along the wall behind her desk were several certificates and degrees.

"So, I understand that Ana was recently diagnosed with Autism, is that correct," she asked.

"Yes, about two months ago," Troy said.

"All right, so how old is she now?"

"She just turned 18 months," Sharpay answered. "Is she too young to be working on her speech?"

"Actually this is just the right age to start working on speech," the doctor said. "You see, most children begin babbling or cooing when they are 5-6 months old. If they aren't talking by 12 months, that is when many parents begin to worry, but in most cases chances are that the child is just developing his or her speech at a different rate. When did Ana begin to speak?"

"You mean say actual words, or just babble," Troy asked.

"Either one," she said.

Sharpay and Troy looked at each other. "Well, she started to make sounds about a month and a half ago," Sharpay said remembering when Ana had suddenly started to attempt to talk.

"Okay, and what did she say, or try to say?"

"It was mainly sounds she would make," Troy said. "She would make noises like 'ah' and 'geh.'" He said, trying to remember exactly what she had been saying.

"Okay." She scribbled something down.

"She also said her first words about 2 weeks ago," Sharpay said. "She had said 'ma' and da,' which I'm guessing was supposed to be 'mom' and 'dad,'" she said.

Jane nodded, "Yeah that is most likely what she was trying to say. Have either of you ever tried prompting her into saying something, like if she wants her toys or whatever it is she likes to play with, or if she is hungry?"

"Sort of," Troy said. "We haven't done a lot of that, since we really don't know what we're supposed to do about that," he said, rather embarrassed.

"Okay, don't worry about that. I can work with her on that, as can my partner who is an Occupational Therapist. She helps children with gestures and body language to show what they want; if they can't actually say what it is they need or want."

The two just sat there, stunned. "Wait, so we are going to have to take Ana to see two different people now," Sharpay asked, getting nervous again.

"Actually…I have degrees in both Occupational and Speech therapy," Jane said, seeing relief pour onto Troy and Sharpay's faces. "Most people only go for one of the two, but I decided why not be in school for a few more years," she said with a smile. "I mainly did that so I could work with children like Ana, and children around her age, since my sister is autistic."

Troy and Sharpay looked at each other, more relief in their eyes. They knew this woman would be able to help Ana in more than one way.

After about an hour, the two decided to set up appointments on a weekly basis. Jane said that it would be best if both of them could come in with Ana so that they could also learn what Jane was doing so they could work with Ana at home.

"Well, that went a lot better than I expected," Sharpay said, letting out a sigh of relief as they walked to the car.

"Yeah, it did. I didn't think that one could have a degree in both speech and occupational therapy," he said, smiling. "I'm glad you picked her." He gave her a kiss as they approached the car. Sharpay strapped Ana into her car seat and they drove home.

* * *

**Okay, done – with this chapter anyway. Now I am not sure if one can really have a degree in both speech and occupational therapy, but I looked up both online and they are very similar job descriptions, so if that isn't completely correct, just remember that 1.) I'm not a doctor and 2.) This is a story. g Please R&R!**


	10. Sibling Rivalry

**Okay, I'm feeling inspired tonight, even though I'm really tired from work today, LOL. Oh, and in regards to someone being both an Occupational and Speech Therapist, I asked my mom about it (she is a nurse) and she said that MANY people are both and that many schools like hiring people with both degrees. : )**

**Thank you to _nodoubtrox_ for inspiring me to write another chapter tonight! **

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I have made up. Everything else belongs to Disney.**

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_**The Additions (10?)**_

Troy and Sharpay brought Ana to see Dr. Barish every Wednesday at 4:30, since it was the only time that worked for both of them. Sharpay gave voice lessons from 3:15-4:00 daily after school and Troy worked at the restaurant every day from 11:00-7:00, but changed his hours on Wednesdays.

After five weeks of going to Dr. Barish, Ana still wasn't talking, but the doctor told Troy and Sharpay not to worry; that it would take several months before there were any really noticeable changes in Ana's behavior.

Larissa, however, seemed to be feeling left out since she had started to act out in way she never had before.

* * *

"All right Ana, it's okay," Sharpay said as Ana cried and cried. She wanted something, but could not tell Sharpay what she wanted. She held up Ana's bear. "Do you want Bear, sweetie?" Ana's response was just more crying.

Troy walked into the room with one of Ana's favorite books that Troy would read to her almost every night before bed. "Do you want to read," he asked, holding the book in front of him so she could see it and point to it if she wanted that. She continued to cry.

Sharpay sighed, "I have tried everything in here," she said feeling defeated. "I have no idea what she wants."

"Have you checked her diaper," Troy asked. She gave him a 'what do you think' look. "Okay, sorry, just wanted to make sure."

Larissa walked into the room. "Mommy, can you read this to me," she asked holding up a book.

"Not right now, honey. I'm working with Ana," she said as she walked back over to Ana who was still screaming. She finally pointed to something up on a shelf. "Troy! Did you see that?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I think she's pointing to the purple care bear," he said as he reached up and brought it down to Ana's level. "Is this what you're looking for, honey," he asked. Ana smiled as Troy brought the bear closer to her. She finally took it from him and sat on the floor and played with the bear.

"Daddy, can you read this to me," Larissa asked after Ana was occupied. "I can't honey, I have to go to the restaurant." He gave her a kiss and a hug and then did the same with Ana and then whispered something in Sharpay's ear, making her smile and kissed her goodbye.

Sharpay sat down with Ana and played with her. Larissa walked out of the room with her head down.

Later that day, Ana was busy playing with her bear. Sharpay was in the same room writing her lesson plan for the next day, since today was a holiday and she didn't have school. Ana walked up to Sharpay, bear in hand and tugged on her shirt. "What is it, sweetheart," she asked, looking up at her.

Ana pointed to her bear and very quietly said, "Bew."

Sharpay's eyes grew wide and she smiled at her daughter. "Very good! Yes, this is your bear," she said as she pointed to the bear. Ana smiled as Sharpay gave her a big hug.

Larissa walked into the room with her book. "Mommy can you read to me now," she asked just as Ana said 'bew' again.

"Very good, sweetie," Sharpay said as she walked over to Ana. She looked up at Larissa and smiled. "Did you hear what your sister just said," she asked.

Larissa nodded and smiled as well and held up her book. "Can you read to me, mommy," she asked a little louder.

Before Sharpay could answer, Troy walked in the door. "Good afternoon," he said as he gave each of his girls a kiss and Sharpay a 'special' **(A/N: You know what I mean, wink, wink)** kiss.

"Hey there," Sharpay said with a big smile on her face. "You'll never guess what Ana just said."

"She has a new word," Troy asked as he looked over at Ana who was playing with her bear.

"Yep." She turned to Ana, "Ana, what is this," she asked as she pointed to the bear she was playing with.

Ana didn't answer; instead, she stood up and smiled at Troy and showed him her bear. "Bew!" She said as if she didn't hear what Sharpay had just asked her.

Troy smiled, "That's terrific, Ana!" He knelt down and gave her a big 'bear' hug.

"Daddy, can you please read this to me," Larissa asked again, growing impatient.

"Sure, let me just put my stuff away, okay," he said smiling at Larissa.

"Okay," she said as she watched him walk to the hall closet and put his coat on a hanger and his keys in the little key holder next to the door.

Ana walked over to him and smiled. "Bew," she said, holding up her bear again. She was obviously proud of herself for saying a new word.

"That's right, that is your bear," Troy said with a big smile on his face.

Larissa was now furious that her parents were ignoring her and giving her sister all the attention. She was too young to understand that what Ana was doing was really a big deal; she was only 3 years old, after all.

Troy joined Sharpay and Ana in the living room and was about to go over to Larissa when Ana started to talk again. "Ma, ma, ma," she said a few times before pointing to Troy with a grin and said, "da-da!"

"That's my girl!" He said as he picked her up and spun her around. Sharpay walked over and gave Ana a kiss and a hug.

"Very good, Ana," Sharpay said.

Larissa, now even more furious stomped over to her sister and snatched the bear from her hands and hit her sister with it. "STOP IT!" She yelled.

Ana started bawling as he sister hit her with the bear.

"Larissa Claire Bolton **(A/N: I had to make up middle names; I forgot about that part earlier, so let's just say that Larissa's middle name is Claire and Ana's is Marie.)**, you do NOT hit your sister, do you understand," Sharpay said in a very stern voice. "Now give the bear back to your sister and come sit down over here please."

Larissa, still very angry, threw the bear at her sister. "Here's your STUPID bear!" She yelled.

It was now Troy's turn to react. He took Larissa by the hand and knelt down so his head was even with hers. "Larissa, you do not throw things, especially at people, and I do not want to hear that word come out of your mouth again," he said, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"Fine," she said as she crossed her arms and sat down, remembering what her mother said about sitting down.

Troy walked over to Ana and made sure she was okay. She just smiled and played with her bear again. "Mama," she said quietly.

Sharpay and Troy looked up at Ana. Did she just say what they thought she did? "Troy did she just say 'mama,'" she asked.

"I believe she did," he said, just as stunned. Once again, they praised their daughter on learning a new word, or in this case, putting two words (ma, ma) together.

Two minutes later, Sharpay walked over to Larissa and sat beside her. "Honey, I know that you wanted mommy and daddy to read to you, but when your sister started talking, well that was a pretty big deal, you know," she asked. Larissa nodded, knowing that her sister had a very hard time talking. "And I am sorry that we didn't read to you when you wanted us to, but how about after dinner?"

"Okay," Larissa said, a small smile coming back to her face.

"Good. And you can get up now," Sharpay said as she gave her a hug. Larissa hugged her back.

"Yeah, we'll read this to you after dinner," Troy said as he walked up to her, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

She smiled, "Okay daddy."

* * *

Larissa couldn't wait until Troy and Sharpay were done with the dishes. They had promised to read to her after dinner, and Larissa knew that 'after dinner' meant after all the dishes were done as well. She watched as Troy put the last dish into the dishwasher and grew more and more excited.

Sharpay started to walk to Larissa when the phone rang. "Hello," she said. "Hi Gabi! You'll never believe what Ana said today…She said bear…well; it was more like 'bew' but it was still a word! – I know, I couldn't believe it either."

This conversation with Gabi went on for several minutes and each minute that Sharpay was on that phone, Larissa grew more and more impatient and angry at her sister. Why did what she say have to be such a big deal? She decided that she needed to get her mother's attention. She looked over at Troy who was drying a couple of dishes that couldn't be put into the dishwasher and then at her sister who was on the floor playing. Larissa chose that moment to walk very quietly over to her and hit her over the head with the book she was holding. When Ana didn't respond (since it was more like a tap than a hit), Larissa decided she had to do it again…harder this time. She raised the book up and hit her sister much harder.

Ana let out a scream and started wailing as the book hit her head with a gigantic force.

Troy quickly turned around and saw Larissa as she picked the book back up. He motioned for Sharpay to hang up the phone.

"Um, Gabi I have to go. I'll call you back later." She hung up the phone and rushed over to Ana who was still screaming.

Troy had picked her up and noticed a little bit of blood on her neck. He handed her to Sharpay and walked over to Larissa. He picked her up and took the book out of her hands and brought her up to her room and set her on her bed. Counting to 10 before saying anything (he didn't want to say or do anything he'd regret), he turned back to Larissa. "You do not, I repeat, do _not _hit your sister," he said in the sternest voice she had ever heard. "You hurt her which is something that you never do to anyone, especially Ana."

Larissa sat there, emotionless. She wasn't sorry for what she did. She didn't even know what the word 'sorry' meant. She crossed her arms. "I don't care!" She yelled at Troy. "I hate Ana!"

He was taken aback. Larissa had never said she hated her sister before. "Stay in your room until your mother or I come to talk to you." He quickly walked out of the room, knowing that if he said anything else that he would regret it.

"Shh, it's okay Ana, it's okay," Sharpay said as she held Ana in her arms and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. She checked the small cut on her neck from the corner of the book. It had stopped bleeding, but there was a bruise forming around where she was hit.

Troy walked into the kitchen. "How is she," he asked.

"She's getting a bruise from where she was hit," Sharpay said as she showed him the cut. "What happened, Troy? I mean one minute things were fine, and the next…Ana was screaming. Granted, I was facing the other way, but why would Larissa hit her like that?"

He shook his head, "I don't know what has gotten into her. I've never seen her get violent like that, or even yell like that while I think about it."

A light bulb suddenly went off in Sharpay's head. "I think I might have an idea as to what's wrong." She handed Ana who was still whimpering to Troy and went up the stairs. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Larissa was still sitting on her bed. She was still emotionless, but wasn't sure why. She then heard someone coming up the steps and saw Sharpay in the doorway. Larissa turned away so she was facing the wall.

"Larissa, please turn around," Sharpay said in a calm tone. Larissa didn't listen and stayed facing the wall. "Larissa, please turn around now," she said again in a stern tone. Larissa slowly turned around to face her mother. She had never seen her quite so serious before. "Larissa, why did you hit your sister? Were you mad at her?"

No answer.

"Larissa, I know you can hear me. And I know you can understand me. Were you angry that the phone rang, or that daddy was doing the dishes and couldn't read to you?"

No answer.

Sharpay sighed. She wanted to get through to Larissa, but also wanted her to understand what she did was wrong. She picked Larissa up and set her down on the step stool that was in the room. She knew that Larissa would want to be on her bed, so she figured this would make her crack. "Larissa, listen to me. Why did you hit your sister?"

Larissa didn't say anything. She looked everywhere except her mother. She could feel a few tears fall from her eyes. Not long after that, she started to cry.

Sharpay decided the best thing to do was bring Larissa close to her and hug her. "Sweetheart," she said after a moment of just letting her cry, "Please, tell me why you hit your sister."

Larissa wiped her eyes and shrugged.

"Were you mad that daddy and I didn't read to you?" She nodded. "Were you mad that we were paying a lot of attention to her this afternoon and not very much attention to you?" She nodded again. "Okay, listen to me," she said in a calm but firm tone. "I know that you're angry, and that is fine, but we never hit someone when we are angry. We tell someone."

Larissa wiped her eyes again. "I got mad that she wouldn't let you read to me," she said, shaking as fresh tears started to fall from her eyes. "She never…lets you read…to me," she said through her tears.

Sharpay pulled her into another hug. "I'm sorry that is how you felt, Larissa. But you cannot blame your sister for this. She didn't know that she was hurting your feelings. She is…"

"I know. She's sick and stupid."

Sharpay looked pointedly at Larissa, "Your sister is NOT stupid and she is not sick. I was going to say that she is only 18 months old. She is much younger than you. And yes, she has a problem understanding what is going on around her, but you cannot go and blame her for that. Do you understand?"

She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Do you hate me, mommy?"

"No, of course I don't hate you. I could never hate you," she said as she hugged her again.

"Does daddy hate me?"

"No, I don't hate you. I love you very much," Troy said as he walked into the room with a now calm Ana. He set her down on the floor so she could play with her toys. "But I do not want you to ever hit your sister again, do you understand me?"

She nodded and walked over to Ana and looked at the cut on her neck. She started to cry again and ran to her bed. _This is my fault, I gave her that cut,_ she thought to herself as she continued to cry.

Troy walked over to her and rubbed her back. He picked her up and held her in his lap and hugged her as she cried into his shirt. "We know you didn't mean to hurt Ana," he said gently as her sobs softened. "You were mad that we didn't read to you, am I right," he asked as he looked at her.

"Uh huh," she said as she wiped her eyes. "I…sorry," she said as she climbed down from his lap and walked over to Ana. "I sorry Ana," she said as she gave her sister a hug.

Ana responded by smiling and handing Larissa one of her bears that she was playing with.

_Maybe she forgives me,_ she thought. Larissa looked up at her parents and smiled. "I love you," she said softly.

Sharpay picked her up. "And we love you too, Larissa." She kissed her forehead and sat her back down with her sister.

* * *

After both girls were in bed, Troy and Sharpay went to their room and sat down on the bed. "What a day," Troy said. "So what was it that made you get through to her," he asked.

"Simple. She was jealous that we were paying so much attention to Ana and not paying very much attention to her, that she just thought we no longer loved her."

"So what did the hitting have to do with any of this," Troy asked, still confused.

Sharpay chuckled, "When Ryan and I were little, he used to get these horrible anxiety attacks before our relatives would come over. I have no idea why, but he did. Anyway, my parents would focus all of their attention on him and acted as though I didn't exist. So I ended up doing something that would get their attention."

"You hit him," Troy said.

"Yes and boy did it get their attention. They sent me to my room and let me out when they felt like it. But what they didn't do was talk to me and tell me why I was in my room. I was only 4, so I didn't understand why I was sitting in my room for so long." She sighed, "So, I figured that is what happened with Larissa today but I wasn't about to make the same mistake my parents did when I was little." As she said this, a couple of tears found their way out of her eyes. "I just don't want to turn into my parents."

Troy understood now, "You're not your parents at all. You are a wonderful mother, Sharpay, and Larissa will thank you for this later, when she's older." He gave her a reassuring hug. "Want watch a movie before going to bed, since it's only 8:00?

"Sure," she said as they walked downstairs and picked out a movie. "Thanks, Troy."

"For what?"

"For showing me that I'm not my parents; I can tell already that I'm not." She smiled and sat down beside him.

* * *

**Okay, no cliffhanger, but I wanted to put in more Larissa and her reaction to the amount of attention Ana is getting. I hope you liked it! Please R&R! **


	11. School

**I am so glad you all like this story! It has really helped me with writing it and become inspired. So please keep up with those reviews! They are a wonderful thing for an author to receive. **

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters that I have made up. Everything else belongs to Disney.**

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_**The Additions (11?)**_

Over the next few weeks, Ana slowly began to learn more words. Dr. Barish had really helped her with her body language as well. Ana was now able to let Troy and Sharpay know what she needed either by pointing to the object or in the general direction that the object was in.

It was now the end of August and time for school to begin. Troy and Sharpay had decided to enroll Larissa in preschool and place Ana in a special preschool which would meet her needs. She would still learn what a child her age would normally learn; she was just going to learn at a slower pace.

* * *

"I don't wanna go!" Screamed Larissa as Troy attempted to take her and get her into the car.

"Honey, you're going to love it there, and besides your cousin will be at the school in the afternoons, when kindergarten lets out," Troy said. The preschool that Larissa would be attending had a 'K-Club' in which kindergarteners from certain schools would be picked up by one of the staff members of the preschool and taken over there after they were done with school for the morning. **(A/N: At the preschool I work at, we have this and it's really great, especially for working parents!)** Since both Ryan and Gabriella had to work, Theresa would be coming to the school after kindergarten.

"I don't care," whined Larissa as she crossed her arms. "I don't want to go!" She attempted to run from Troy, but was blocked by Sharpay who was walking in her direction.

She scooped the little girl up. "You are going to love it," she said as she gave her a kiss. "Besides, what would you rather do; spend all day doing absolutely nothing and being completely bored out of your mind with your dad or me or go to a place that has tons of toys and so many other kids your age?"

Larissa thought for a moment. Her mother did have a point. She then though about having to make friends with people she had never seen before in her life. "Go with you!" She exclaimed as she tried to get out of her mother's grasp and run to her room.

"Nice try," Sharpay said as she hung on to Larissa. "You will love Albuquerque Country Day Preschool **(A/N: I know, real original name, LOL)**, I promise." Sharpay handed Larissa over to Troy and walked into the kitchen and picked up Ana who was playing with her cereal. "I think we're all done here," she said to Ana who had somehow managed to squirt her sippy cup full of milk on her shirt. "Come on; let's get you changed before school." She walked upstairs with a protesting Ana.

"See, Ana don't want to go either," Larissa said.

"It's 'doesn't' and yes she does, she just hasn't been there yet, unlike you. Don't you remember last week when we went to the school and you got to play in the classroom," Troy asked as he picked Larissa up.

"I don't wanna go!" She screamed once again, this time in Troy's ear, making him wince.

"Well, you're going and I am sure you will love it." He turned to face the stairs where Sharpay and Ana were coming down. "So are you ready," he asked Sharpay.

"Yeah, and so is Ana, aren't you?" Ana just smiled as she hugged her bear. "See Larissa, Ana can't wait to go to school."

"She is just happy 'cause of her stupid bear," she said with a frown.

"Hey what did we say about not saying that word," Troy said becoming serious.

"Um, not to?"

"That's right, young lady," Troy said, not exactly happy with her tone of voice. "All right let's just go before either one of them can escape."

They walked into the garage and each placed one of the kids into her car seat. As Larissa was being strapped in, she was secretly hoping that something would prevent them from going to school. She then remembered the day before when Sharpay had wanted to go shopping but couldn't because something was wrong with her car. Larissa grinned slyly as Troy and Sharpay got into his car. "I want mommy's car," she announced.

"Sorry, you're already in daddy's car," Sharpay said. "Besides you know that…" She looked over at Troy. "We have a devious child here," she said with a smirk.

"Yes, we do," he said trying not to laugh. "How does she remember these things?"

"Well I did make a pretty big deal about it when I couldn't get to the store," Sharpay said.

Troy chuckled, "Yeah that you did. You made me come all the way home for two hours while you went to the store."

"It was either that or not have anything to eat," she said as Troy pulled out of the driveway.

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he drove to ACDP.

He pulled up in front of a brick building that had a big sign with smiley faces and flowers on it. "Here we are," Troy said as he got out of the car and undid Larissa's seatbelt.

"I'm not going," Larissa said as she pouted, angry that she didn't get her way…again.

"Yes you are," Troy said as he managed to pull the little but rather strong girl out of the car. "Larissa, this is ridiculous," he said as he repeatedly had to take her hands off the door handle. He would get one hand off, and then she would place her other hand on the handle. This went on for at least five minutes. Troy finally decided to take both hands at once, thus making it impossible for her to grab on to the door handle. He carried her into the school kicking and screaming.

Sharpay walked with Ana who was oblivious to her surroundings until they got inside; once there, Ana noticed all of the other children around her and grabbed her mother's shirt for dear life and started crying. Sharpay turned to her, "It's all right honey, no one is going to hurt you, you're okay," she said softly, knowing that wasn't going to help. Ana continued to scream and cry. Sharpay had remembered that social situations were going to be very difficult for Ana to deal with; especially ones with a lot of distractions, which was why she and Troy had decided to place her in a different setting where there weren't as many distractions.

"Larissa, calm down," Troy said to his daughter who was now making herself hyperventilate from all her hysteria. "Look, we're at your room." He turned and walked into a room that was decorated with pictures on the walls, toys scattered on the floor from other kids who were already in the room, and two teachers.

Larissa looked at the room for about a second before burying her face into Troy's shirt. "I don't want to stay!" She said with a muffled voice.

"Hello," a woman with dark, shoulder-length hair said as she walked towards Troy and Larissa. "You must be Mr. Bolton, right," she asked.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you," he said as he extended his free arm. "I'm sorry, I know we met, but I forgot your name."

"I'm Linda," the woman said. "But all the kids call me Miss Linda, and over there is Miss Jessica," she said warmly. She then looked at Larissa. "And you must be Larissa," she said as she tried to get Larissa to look up from Troy's shirt.

"Yes, this is Larissa," Troy said as he set Larissa down. She protested and grabbed his shirt and tried to crawl her way back up into his arms.

"Up, daddy!" When Troy shook his head 'no,' she started to cry.

"Don't worry, Larissa," Miss Linda said as she knelt down to her height. "You are going to have so much fun here. We will be doing lots of art projects, have music, gym, and we will even get to go out on the playground. You also have your very own cubby," she said.

Larissa stopped trying to climb up Troy's shirt. "Really?"

"Yes, really; come here and I'll show you." Larissa allowed Linda to take her hand and she led her to what looked like a drawer, only vertical. There was a small space on the top and then there was a place where you could hang your coat and at the bottom was a bin for clean clothing, just in case someone had an accident. **(A/N: I'm basically describing what the cubbies at my school look like, just so you know)** "Look, it even has your name on it," she said as she showed her a name on the inside of the cubby.

"This is mine," she asked, becoming interested in the cubby.

"Yes, this is yours. This is where you will get to put all of your artwork to take home for mommy and daddy to see and where you will hang your coat when it comes time to need one and where your mommy or daddy will put some extra clothes, just in case."

"Just in case for what," Larissa asked, confused.

Linda was about to explain that part when Sharpay motioned for her not to say anything, knowing that it would make Larissa feel embarrassed, since she had two accidents the day before. "Just in case you spill something on your shirt or pants," she said as Sharpay gave her a 'thumbs up' sign and mouthed a 'thank you.'

"See, doesn't this look like an awesome place to hang out," Troy asked. "I think that if you are so set against it that I might want to stay," he said as he walked into the room and sat in one of the very small chairs, Larissa following him.

"Daddy, you're too big," Larissa said with a giggle.

"I am? Well maybe mommy would want to stay. Then you could go to her school."

"No! Mommy's too big too!"

"Then who is this place just right for? Hmm, maybe Ana would like to stay," Sharpay said as she walked into the room with a now calm Ana in her arms.

"No, Ana is too small!"

"Well then who is just right for this room," Troy asked, pretending to be baffled.

"Me!" Larissa smiled and sat in the chair. "See, it fits me better than you," she said as she showed her dad how well she fit in the chair.

"Wow, you're right," Sharpay said, pretending to be shocked. "I guess you're the one who gets to go here then, huh," she asked with a smile.

"Yep, I am the only one that fits in the chair," she said proudly.

As she said this, Sharpay had snuck out of the room and placed some clean clothes into Larissa's cubby. When she came back, she tapped Troy on the shoulder. "I think we need to get Ana to school," she said quietly.

He nodded and turned back to Larissa. "Okay honey, mommy and daddy have to go take Ana to school now and then go to our _boring_ jobs," he said, emphasizing the word "boring."

Larissa looked at him with tears starting to sneak back into her eyes. "When will you come back," she asked.

"At 4:00," he said. "You get to take a nap and everything here."

"In a crib?"

"No, you get to sleep on a cot," Linda said, making that sound exciting.

"Really," Larissa asked as she wiped some loose tears.

"Yes, and you even have a sheet and blanket to put on it," she said as she looked at Troy who put his hand to his head.

"Oops, in all the chaos at home, we kind of forgot that," he said. "Can we bring them tomorrow?"

"Of course, besides we always have extras, just in case."

"Thanks," Sharpay said. "Okay, daddy and I really need to go now, honey. We have to take Ana to her school."

Larissa got up from where she was sitting and looked at Sharpay. "Okay mommy," she said quietly. "Will Ana have a cubby too?"

"I'm sure she will, but…" She leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "It probably won't be as cool as yours." Larissa smiled as she said this.

"Hey, can I have a hug," Troy asked, his arms spread out.

Larissa nodded and ran to him and gave him a big hug. She then did the same with Sharpay and even kissed Ana on the head.

"Love you," Troy and Sharpay said at the same time.

As they left the room, they could hear a very small whimper from Larissa. Sharpay started to turn around, but Troy stopped her. "We have to let her get used to this," he said as he put his hand on her back.

She nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. "I just hope she's okay," she said as they headed out to the car.

* * *

They drove to another school that wasn't very far from Larissa's where Ana would be going. It was a much smaller building, but still had an inviting presence to it.

Sharpay got Ana out of the car and walked with Troy into the building. "Hi, we're here to see a Mrs. Daniels," she said as they approached a woman.

"That would be me," the woman said. She looked to be in her mid-30s and had light brown hair.

"Oh hi, it's nice to meet you," Sharpay said. "I'm Sharpay and this is my husband Troy."

"Hello." The woman didn't seem very warm at all, at least not compared to the teacher at Larissa's school. "Let me show you where your daughter will be." She led a very nervous Sharpay and Troy to a room that had barely anything on the walls and not many toys in the room. There were about three other kids in the room, all doing separate things. There was a very young looking teacher in the room. She was working on something when she saw Troy, Sharpay and Mrs. Daniels enter. "Dana," Mrs. Daniels said, getting the woman's attention.

She looked up and saw who was at the door. "Oh, hello," she said as she walked over to them. "It's nice to meet you." She gave Troy and Sharpay a small smile. "And who is this young one," she asked.

"This is Anastasia," Sharpay said, becoming defensive.

"Shar, it's okay," Troy said quietly to her.

"Hello there, sweetie," Dana said as she tried to get Ana's attention. Ana was busy focusing on the walls.

"So, are you going to be her teacher," Troy asked.

"Yes, and Jessica will be in soon. She is my assistant."

"How many children are in this class," Sharpay asked, still nervous.

Dana looked at the roster. "Let's see, including your daughter, there are five. We like to keep the class sizes small."

Troy nodded, still nervous, but glad that there weren't too many other kids in the class. "Well, how do you like it, Ana," he asked her as she looked around the room and then up at Troy and Sharpay.

"I think she will like it just fine," Dana said with a smile.

"Where can we put her stuff," Sharpay asked.

"Oh I'm sorry, she has a cubby. It's over here," Dana said as she led them over to a coat rack that had been transformed into several cubbies. "You can put her coat over here and her extra clothing down here and her diapers go in here," she said, pointing to an area on the top of the cubby.

"Thanks," Troy said as he placed Ana's diapers on top and her clothes inside the cubby.

After another 15 minutes of looking around the room with Ana, Troy and Sharpay hesitantly decided it really was time for them to go; yet they were still nervous about leaving Ana at the school. "Something just doesn't feel right," Sharpay whispered to Troy as they headed for the door.

Not wanting to make Sharpay more nervous agreeing, he simply hugged her. "Okay," he said to Ana. "Mommy and daddy have to go now." He picked Ana up and gave her a kiss and a hug and then handed her over to Sharpay.

"Goodbye, sweetie," she said. "We'll see you at 4:00, okay?" She gave her a hug and a kiss and set her down.

Ana seemed to know that her parents were leaving because as soon as Sharpay set her down, tears started to slowly fall down her cheeks. As Troy and Sharpay walked away, she started to wail. Sharpay wanted so badly to go and pick her daughter up and hold her, but she knew that if she did, she'd only make it harder for Ana to adjust. She gripped Troy's hand as they walked to the parking lot.

"Troy, do you think she'll be all right," Sharpay asked as the two got into the car.

"Yeah, I think that once Ana notices the other kids in the class, she'll start to enjoy it," he said, unsure of the situation himself.

* * *

**Dun, dun DUNNNN! So, what do you think about Larissa's school compared to Ana's? Let me just say this: expect something … interesting to happen in the next chapter. Until then, please R&R!**


	12. Something's Not Right

**Okay so our Seder didn't exactly go as planned; my dad was still driving home from Bowling Green, KY, so it was just my mom and me. And we had really weird outdated Haggadahs, LOL. Anyway, that has nothing to do with the story, just thought I'd share that. ;) But it does give me a chance to update my story again! I got inspired by the number of reviews I got today. Thank you to ALL OF YOU! You are all awesome! Please keep reading and reviewing! Oh and someone (sorry, I forgot who) asked for me to make this a long story; well I was planning on doing that anyway. : ) Enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I made up. All others belong to Disney.**

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_**The Additions (12?)**_

The day seemed to drag by for Sharpay. Her class was composed of people who didn't care about drama and were only there because it was required, people who loved drama but couldn't act if their life depended on it, and people who could act but hated the class. She sighed as she looked up at the clock: 2:30. Only half an hour left until school ended, then it was voice lessons with one of her students for 45 minutes.

Troy couldn't seem to stay focused on what he and Jason were working on. They were changing the menu around and had to decide what to keep and what to either get rid of or change around. Troy, like Sharpay had a gut feeling that something wasn't right at one of the girls' schools. He had a feeling it was probably just him, but the feeling was still there.

* * *

Sharpay paced back and forth at the entrance of the school. She looked down at her watch which read 3:55. Since her car was in 'la la land' as Larissa had put it the other day, Troy had dropped her off and was supposed to pick her up at 3:45. Now he was 10 minutes late.

Two minutes later Troy drove up to the front of the school. He knew that Sharpay was going to yell at him for being late and knew she wasn't going to buy his excuse.

"Where on earth were you," Sharpay nearly yelled when she opened the door.

"I'm fine, honey, how was your day," Troy said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't change the subject on me. Where were you," she asked again.

"I'm sorry; Jason and I were trying to bribe the printer into actually working. It didn't work." He sighed. "And yes, that's the truth."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, let's just go pick up the girls."

They decided to pick up Ana first since her school was closer to where they were. Right as Troy put the car into park, Sharpay practically jumped out and hurried to the building. Troy was very close behind her.

As they entered the school, they could hear crying and immediately recognized it as being Ana's cry. They hurried to her class and saw her sitting on the floor with Dana stroking her hair, trying to make her feel better. She looked up and saw Troy and Sharpay. "Ana, look who's here," she said quietly as she got Ana to look up at the door.

Ana saw her parents standing there and got up and ran over to them, sobbing into Sharpay's pants. She picked Ana up and rubbed her back.

"What happened," Troy asked.

Dana sighed, "She was holding her bear and one of the other kids walked over to her and took it away and threw it in the trash. When Ana realized she couldn't get it out, she started to cry," she said.

"But she is holding her bear right now," Sharpay said, finding this rather hard to believe.

"Yes, that was after Jessica managed to get it out of the trash, but neither her nor I could get her to stop crying. We tried everything that we could think of." She looked from Troy to Sharpay.

Sharpay nodded, "Yeah, it is hard to calm her down once she is upset," she said as she rubbed Ana's back. Ana was no longer crying; it had turned into a small whimper every now and then.

Dana nodded, "It's okay, we have a couple of kids here who have a hard time settling down after being upset, but they are usually able to calm themselves down after a while. Since it is only Ana's first day, I understand that she is upset."

"Thanks," Troy said. "We'll um, see you tomorrow," he said, skeptical of what Dana had just said.

"Okay, bye Ana," Dana said with a smile. Ana just buried her face into Sharpay's shirt.

"Did that sound a little fake to you, or is it just me," Troy asked as Sharpay strapped Ana in her car seat.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I mean, it does take Ana a while to calm down, especially if she's in a place she's not used to. I mean, remember the first night? She threw up…twice."

"I know, but something just didn't seem right," Troy said as he got into the car and drove to Larissa's school.

"I'm sure things will get better," Sharpay said.

"Yeah, you're right," Troy said as they arrived at Larissa's school.

When they got to Larissa's room, they saw her coloring at a table by herself. The other children still there were playing a game in another area of the room. Troy and Sharpay looked at each other with confused faces.

"Knock, knock," Sharpay said as she and Troy entered the room.

"Mommy!" Larissa ran to her mom and hugged her.

"Hi sweetie how was your day," Sharpay asked as she picked Larissa up.

"I hate it here," she said as she frowned.

"Why's that," Troy asked as he leaned over and kissed her head.

"They made me sit a table!"

Troy and Sharpay walked over to Linda who was washing one of the tables. She looked up, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Bolton," she said with a smile.

"Hi," he said a little uneasily. "Um, why was Larissa sitting by herself when we arrived?"

Linda sighed, "Well, she and another girl were playing a game and the other girl happened to get a toy that Larissa wanted and when she wouldn't give it to her, Larissa…well…hit her," she said after a pause.

It was now Troy's turn to sigh. "Is the other little girl okay," he asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. She has a little red mark on her back where Larissa hit her, but she'll be fine," Linda said. "Larissa was sitting down because she was in time-out for hitting."

"I see," Sharpay said, not very happy that her daughter didn't have a very good first day of school. "Thanks, and I am sorry. By the way, when did this happen?"

"About two minutes before you arrived," she said. "We have the kids sit down one minute per age, and since Larissa is 3, she had 3 minutes. We were about to talk to her and let her get up, but she saw you, so…"

"We'll talk to her about it," Troy said. "Thank you again."

"No problem," she said. "So we'll see you tomorrow?"

"You will," he said as he and Sharpay walked to the door.

"Larissa, what have your daddy and I told you about hitting," Sharpay asked as she set Larissa down.

She shrugged, not seeming to care.

"Larissa Claire Bolton," Sharpay said with a stern tone in her voice, "We do not hit our friends," she said as she stopped Larissa from walking away from her.

"She's a stupid girl and I hate her!" Larissa stomped away from Sharpay and Troy and walked through the open door and into the street. It was a nice day outside, so the door had been propped open. A car came by, just barely missing Larissa.

Troy ran after her and picked her up and set her over his shoulder; something she hated.

"Stop daddy!" She cried, begging for him to put her down.

When they got to the car, he set her down and looked at her. "You never, I repeat _never_ walk away from us like that, do you understand," he said, nearly yelling.

"Do you know how much you scared us," Sharpay said as she caught up to the two.

"So what!" She turned around and crossed her arms.

Troy put his hands up and stood up. "Fine," he said as he opened the door and put her into the car.

"What do you mean, 'fine,'" Sharpay said, clearly angry that he didn't say more to her.

"I don't feel like punishing her in a parking lot," he said as he shut Larissa's door and walked around to the other side of the car and waited for Sharpay to finish getting Ana in and get into the car.

"Okay, well now we're in the car, so did you want to…"

"No, when we get home," he said quietly. The rest of the drive home was silent. Troy was trying not to lose it; Sharpay was contemplating saying anything; Larissa was sitting in her seat, thinking she had 'won and Ana just sat in her seat staring out the window.

* * *

"Upstairs. Now," Troy said to Larissa as soon as they got home.

"But…"

"No 'buts.' I said go upstairs right now," he said in a low, stern voice.

Larissa, knowing she was in trouble, went upstairs.

Troy looked at Sharpay, "Now we talk to her," he said. She nodded and followed him upstairs. She put Ana down when they got to her and Larissa's room.

Larissa was already in there on her bed playing with her doll. Troy walked over to her and took the doll from her and gave it to Sharpay who placed it on a shelf (A/N: confused yet? LOL). "Hey," she said, sticking her tongue out at Troy, but immediately regretting doing so when she saw Troy's face.

He sat down on her bed, as did Sharpay. "What is going on, Larissa? I mean, you hit a friend, you ran away from your mom, and now you're talking back."

Larissa shrugged and looked down at her hands.

"Larissa," Troy prompted her. "Why did you hit your friend?"

She looked up at him, this time with tears in her eyes. "She made fun of me."

"What did she say," Sharpay asked.

"That I couldn't be her friend," she said, more tears coming out of her eyes.

"Why's that," Troy asked.

She shrugged and started crying.

Troy shook his head, "Larissa, you cannot just hit your friends when they say things you don't like. You need to tell someone or try talking to them first."

She ignored him and just started crying harder. Sharpay got up and walked over to her. "Okay since you aren't listening, you may sit up here until we tell you that you may come out," she said.

"NOOO!" She shouted.

Troy and Sharpay walked out of the room with Ana following Sharpay. "I really hope this doesn't become a daily routine," Sharpay said as she picked Ana up and patted her back, to which Ana started screaming. "What's wrong," she asked as she looked at her back and gasped.

"What? What's wrong," Troy asked as he looked at her back. There was a huge black and blue mark on it. "Oh my gosh, how did this happen," he asked in shock.

"I…I don't know. Larissa couldn't have done it, since she only hit Ana that one time. I highly doubt any of her classmates could have –"

"Oh no," Troy said, interrupting her. "I knew there was something wrong with what that woman said."

"Troy what are you talking about?"

"Dana," he said. "Remember how Ana was crying right before we arrived?"

"Yeah, she said that one of the kids threw her bear in the trash, remember?" Sharpay's eyes opened wide. "Wait a minute, wasn't there a lid on the trash can?"

"Yes, there was. And that lid looked pretty difficult for a little kid to lift up," he said.

"I can't believe this," she said as she started pacing. "So you think that the teacher hit her?"

"Either her or one of the other staff members, yeah."

Sharpay just stood there, shocked.

* * *

The next morning, after Troy and Sharpay had dropped Larissa off, they went to Ana's school and took her to her room.

"Good morning, Ana," Dana greeted her cheerfully.

Ana smiled and walked towards her, leaving Troy and Sharpay very confused.

"Wait a minute," Sharpay said quietly, "If she is the one who hit her then why is Ana walking over to her and smiling?"

"I don't know," he said, just as confused. After saying goodbye, the two looked through a window from the hall. Everything seemed normal in there. Dana and Jessica were playing with the kids, who all seemed to be having fun. "Maybe we were wrong," he said.

"Maybe so," she said as she looked in the room again. One of the kids started to cry. The two looked to see what Dana and Jessica's reactions were. Dana walked over to the little boy who was crying and picked him up and rocked him back and forth until he stopped crying. She then set him down and continued to play with him.

"Yeah, I think we were wrong," Sharpay said with a sigh of relief. "But how did she get that bruise?"

"Maybe she bumped into something like the table, or a chair. And maybe one of the kids did take her bear yesterday and set it _on _the trash can," Troy said.

"I guess that's possible," Sharpay said. After a little more observing, the two left for work.

* * *

"How's my girl," Sharpay asked as she walked into Ana's room. She saw Ana playing with a doll, looking quite content. When Ana heard Sharpay's voice, she got up and ran over to her. "Hi sweetie," she said as she picked her up.

"Mama!" Ana exclaimed. She then seemed to be looking for something. "Dada?"

"Oh, daddy is getting Larissa. Are you ready to go home?"

Ana just smiled.

I'll take that as a yes," she said as she thanked Dana and got Ana's things and walked out of the room and to the car. As she bringing the strap over Ana's shoulder to buckle her seatbelt, Ana let out a whimper. Sharpay looked at her shoulder and couldn't believe what she saw. There was another large bruise on her shoulder. "What happened, Ana? Who is doing this to you?"

* * *

**Hmm, who is hurting Ana? And yes, I'm leaving you with a cliffhanger, LOL. Please R&R! I will try to post more tomorrow since I don't have to work (we have Thursday and Friday off).**


	13. The Truth Comes Out Pt 1

**Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I truly appreciate them, guys. Okay, so here is chapter 13!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

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_**The Additions (13?)**_

Sharpay was sitting on the couch in the living room watching Ana as she waited for Troy to come home with Larissa. She had only been sitting there for 10 minutes, but it seemed more like 10 hours. She picked Ana up and looked at the bruise again. It looked as if someone had used something other than his or her hand to hit her this time. She pulled Ana close to her and hugged her, careful of the bruise that was still on her back.

20 minutes later, Troy still wasn't home. Sharpay glanced at the clock: 4:45. Why hadn't he called? Did something happen to him? She did after all make him take her car to pick Larissa up so she could race to Ana's school. She decided to pick up the phone and call his cell.

* * *

"Okay that should do it," Troy said as he closed the hood of the car. Not surprisingly, the car had broken down 15 minutes away from the house. "Sharpay is going to kill me," he said to himself as he got back into the car. "You okay," he asked Larissa who was playing with her doll.

"Yes; daddy why are we still here?" She was being as patient as a 3 year old could be.

"We're still here because mommy's car is…"

"Back in 'la la land,'" she supplied.

"Something like that." He jumped when he heard his cell phone ring. "Hello?"

"Where the heck are you," Sharpay asked, nearly yelling.

"I'm sorry, the car broke down…again and I thought I could fix whatever was wrong with it."

She sighed, "And did you?"

He turned the key that was still in the ignition. "Apparently not," he said when the car didn't respond.

"Then call a tow truck or something. Just get home now!" She paused. "Wait, where are you?"

"Willow and Vine," he said as he looked at the street signs.

"Okay, I'll be right there, besides I have to tell you something," she said, fear eminent in her voice.

He could hear in her voice that something was definitely wrong. "Okay, we'll be here," he said; worry creeping into his head. What was going on?

He hung up and looked over at Larissa. "Mommy is going to come get us," he said to a now very impatient Larissa. "You know," he said, trying to make her feel better, "We should think about getting mommy a new car."

She smiled. "Can I come and help you? She has to get the right car."

He chuckled at the comment, "That had actually crossed my mind." In the last three months, the same thing had happened at least a dozen times.

A few minutes later, Troy noticed Sharpay driving over to the parked car. Troy had already gotten Larissa out of the car and waited for Sharpay to stop the other car so he could strap Larissa in. "Now remember, don't say anything to mommy about what we're going to get her," he whispered. She smiled and nodded. He turned his attention to Sharpay who was still looking quite worried. "What's wrong, I could hear it in your voice on the phone."

She took a deep breath and led him to the other side of the car and opened the door and showed him Ana's new bruise. "This is what's wrong." She wiped a couple of tears from her eyes.

Troy couldn't believe what he saw. "What…how on earth did this happen," he asked.

"That's the million dollar question, now isn't it," Sharpay said loudly, on the verge of tears.

"We'll find out what's going on, don't worry about a thing," he said as he pulled her into a hug. They got into the car and drove home.

* * *

"What do you mean someone is hitting her," Ryan said in disbelief the next day (which was Saturday). He, Gabriella and Theresa had come to the restaurant for dinner and were sitting with Troy and Sharpay while the kids sat with Kelsi who was acting as babysitter. She didn't mind it; in fact she loved it.

"That's exactly what I said when I heard what was going on," Jason said as he joined them. The restaurant had a private room reserved for parties or other events, which was where everyone was.

Sharpay shook her head and wiped away the tears coming down her cheeks. "I have no idea why anyone would hit her. She is completely harmless! She wouldn't hurt anyone; at least not intentionally."

"Have you talked to anyone at the school," Gabi asked as she sat back down from having to give Theresa a little talk on using an inside voice; she had been yelling at Larissa…again.

"Not yet," Troy said. "She's only been there for a week and so far has these two bruises and the person we were suspecting seems to be completely harmless. Whenever we drop Ana off, she immediately walks over to her teacher – Dana, and smiles and seems to be having a good time."

"What about when you pick her up," Kelsi asked as she joined them. The kids had all decided to play on the floor so everyone could now see them.

"She seems like she's fine. She is having a good time there, from what I see every time I go get her," Sharpay said. "Dana really seems to connect with her."

Jason shook his head, "Who would want to do something like this? Did anyone seem unfriendly or strange when you first met them, or just rub you the wrong way?"

Troy and Sharpay looked at one another, remembering someone who fit that description perfectly. "Mrs. Daniels," Troy said quietly.

"Who," Ryan asked.

"The director of the school…at least I think she is the director. Anyway, when we first went there, she didn't exactly seem like the friendliest person in the world," Troy said.

Ryan thought for a moment. "I have an idea," he said after a few minutes.

"What's that," Sharpay said.

"It's when someone gets a thought in their head and decides to share it with –"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "Come on Ryan, I'm serious."

"Okay, okay. Maybe you should have Gabi or me come and pick her up one day next week. We could say that you are both busy at work and needed someone to come pick Ana up."

"You know, that's actually not a bad idea," Troy said. "And it would be very easy to come up with something."

"Why do you say that," Sharpay asked.

He smiled, "You," he said, indicating Ryan and Gabi, "Could pick Ana up from school on Monday."

"And what would be our excuse? Remember how tight security is at most places these days," Gabi said.

"The truth," Troy said. "Sharpay's car is in the shop, so she'll be at school until I can come get her and maybe you could pick up Larissa as well, now that I think about it. I mean, Theresa's going to be there anyway." He looked at the two.

"Good idea," Ryan said after a minute.

"I think that's perfect," Sharpay said as she finally took a bite of her salad that she had been ignoring.

* * *

On Monday afternoon, Ryan and Gabi drove over to the center that Ana was at. They got out of the car and walked into the building and looked around. "This is a really nice looking place," Gabi commented as they looked into the classrooms.

"May I help you," a woman from behind asked, causing Gabi and Ryan to jump a bit.

"Yes, we're looking for a Mrs. Daniels," Ryan said.

"I am Mrs. Daniels," the woman said rather coolly. She didn't smile or shake their hands.

Ryan nodded, "Hi, um, we're here to pick up Ana Bolton, but don't know which room is hers," he said.

Mrs. Daniels nodded, "Wait here, please." She walked away and into one of the rooms.

"Yikes," Gabi said when she was out of earshot. "That woman gives me the creeps."

"You're not the only one who feels that way."

A few seconds later, they heard Mrs. Daniels yelling at someone. Gabi and Ryan looked at each other, afraid that she was yelling at Ana. They walked in the direction that Mrs. Daniels had and peeked into the room. There stood Mrs. Daniels, along with someone else who they guessed was Dana. She (Mrs. Daniels) was yelling at her about something. Gabi was about to walk in and interrupt, but felt Ryan hold her back. "What are you doing," she whispered.

"We need to find out if she is the one who is hitting Ana," he whispered back.

They waited for Mrs. Daniels to finish 'talking' with Dana. They hurried back to where they were when they saw her turn to walk out of the room.

"She is in the first room on your right," Mrs. Daniels said as she walked into an office.

The two hurried over to the room and looked in. There stood Dana, trying to cover up what looked like tears coming down her cheeks. She cleared her throat and picked up Ana and looked at her arm.

"We better get in there now," Gabi said.

Ryan nodded and the two walked into the room. "Hi," Ryan said, "We're here to pick up Ana Bolton. I'm Ryan Evans and this is my wife, Gabriella," he said to Dana.

"Oh, yes Mr. and Mrs. Bolton mentioned that you were picking her up today," she said warmly. "I'm Dana; it's nice to meet you."

"Same here," Gabi said as she looked at Dana, who was trying to cover something on her shoulder up. "Um, are you all right?"

"Oh sure, I'm fine," she said. She wasn't a very good liar.

"What happened to your shoulder Ryan asked when he saw Dana rubbing it.

She quickly took her hand off her shoulder and walked over to Ana and picked her up. "Ana, look who's here to take you home," she said with a smile.

Gabi decided to go along with this for now, "Hi Ana how are you," she asked as she took her from Dana.

Ryan, not wanting to go along with this, looked at Dana. "Is Mrs. Daniels the director of this school," he asked.

"Actually, our director, Shelly, is out of town at a conference. She'll be back either tomorrow or Wednesday," she said, smiling at what she just said. "Mrs. Daniels is the assistant director and has been filling in for her."

Ryan nodded, "I am just asking because…" He looked at Gabi who was giving him a 'don't even think about it' look. "…um, never mind. Thanks for letting us pick Ana up," he said quickly.

"No problem," she said with a small smile, as if she didn't want them to leave.

"Well we'll be going now," Gabi said as she pulled Ryan away. "And thank you again," she said as they left the room. When they were outside, Gabi turned to look at him, "What on earth do you think you're doing! This is none of our business, Ryan and you know it." She put Ana in the car seat that Troy had leant them.

He sighed, "Gabi, did you see the look on that woman's face? She was terrified! Not only that, but did you happen to see the resemblance between Dana and that Mrs. Daniels?"

She didn't say anything and got into the car. "Come on, we have to pick up Theresa and Larissa," she said quietly. Ryan rolled his eyes but decided not to argue. He drove to the other preschool where Theresa and Larissa were.

* * *

"I'm warning you, Ryan this is not our place to do this," Gabi said as they walked up to the front door of Troy and Sharpay's house.

He shook his head and rang the doorbell.

Sharpay answered the door, "Hi there!" She picked up Larissa who gave her mom a huge hug.

"Mama!" Ana cried from Gabi's arms.

"Thanks for picking them up," Sharpay said as she set Larissa down and took Ana from Gabi. "Please, come in."

Ryan, Gabi, and Theresa walked into the house. "It was no problem," Gabi said as they walked inside.

Ryan, no longer able to stay silent, spoke up, "So I think that it's Mrs. Daniels," he said as Gabi gave him a look.

"You do," Sharpay said as she set Ana down.

"Yes, and not only that, but did you know that she isn't the director of the preschool," Gabi said, finally breaking her silence about what they saw.

Sharpay looked shocked, "What? What are you talking about? If she's not, then who is?"

"Some woman named Shelly. Dana said she's at a conference and should be back tomorrow," Ryan said.

"Who's Shelly," Troy asked as he walked up to them.

"Hi honey," Sharpay said as she gave him a kiss. "Apparently she's the director of Ana's school." She turned back to Ryan and Gabi, "So what does Mrs. Daniels do then?"

"She's the assistant director," Ryan said. "She never told you any of this?"

Troy looked over at Sharpay, "No, she didn't." He said as he looked from Ryan to Gabi. "Did anything else out of the ordinary happen?"

"As a matter of fact yes," Ryan said as he explained what he and Gabi heard and saw. "I also suspect that her daughter works there."

"What do you mean," Sharpay asked.

"I mean, have you ever noticed that Dana and Mrs. Daniels look alike?" He looked at the two.

"Not really, but then again I've never really thought about it," Troy said.

"I also think that she (Mrs. Daniels) is doing something to Dana," he said, ignoring Gabi's looks she was giving him.

Troy and Sharpay couldn't think of anything to say. Sharpay rushed over to Ana and took off her shirt and examined her upper torso. "Troy," she said quietly.

He walked over to her, "What is it?" She pointed to yet another bruise on Ana's arm. "That's it," he said as he walked over to get his keys.

"Troy where are you going," Sharpay asked.

"I'm going to find out what the hell this woman has been doing to our little girl, where do you think I'm going?"

"Please Troy; let's wait until tomorrow, Shelly gets back. We can talk to her about this," Sharpay pleaded. "Please."

He sighed and set his keys down, "Fine, but first thing tomorrow morning we are going to find out what is happening to our daughter."

She nodded, "Thank you."

Gabi and Ryan decided to take this opportunity to say their goodbyes, "We'll see you on Saturday," Gabi asked, hoping that Troy and Sharpay remembered that they were coming over to their house for dinner.

"Yeah, we'll see you then and thank you for everything," Sharpay said as she hugged her brother.

"No problem, sis. We'll see you guys later," Ryan said as he went and got Theresa.

After they left, Sharpay looked at Troy. "I'm scared," she said quietly.

"I know, but we'll get through this, I promise." He pulled her into a hug, knowing that somehow, someway, they would get through this.

* * *

**Okay so I gave you all another cliffhanger, not to mention a lot of confusion for the main characters. I hope you like it! Also, I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Chicago, so I will try my best to get another chapter up sometime today or this evening. In the meantime, please R&R!**


	14. The Truth Comes Out Pt 2

**Okay, here is chapter 14 and probably the last chapter I'm going to be able to write before we leave tomorrow morning. But don't worry, I will be back on Sunday night and hopefully have some more ideas in mind. Another big thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed so far!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I have made up. Everything else belongs to Disney.**

**Quick A/N: My apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors. My spell checker wasn't working right for some reason. Anyway, on with the story.**

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_**The Additions (14?)**_

Troy and Sharpay had decided to keep Ana home the next day since they were planning on having a long talk with Dana, Shelly – who they had never met before, and of course, Mrs. Daniels. They were going to get to the bottom of this and fast.

Jason and Kelsi had volunteered to watch Ana while Troy and Sharpay were at the school and said that if needed, they would pick Larissa up from school as well. Sharpay called East Junior High (remember, she works there) and said she was taking a vacation day and Troy was just not planning on going into work that day.

"Have a great day, sweetie," Sharpay said as she and Troy were leaving.

"Bye mommy, bye daddy," Larissa said. She went over to the table and started playing with some play-dough.

"Okay, are you ready," Troy asked as they walked out to the car.

Sharpay didn't say anything; she simply nodded her head and got into the car.

The ride was silent as they drove to Ana's school. Sharpay was busy thinking of what she was going to say and Troy was busy thinking of what he wanted to say, but knew that some of what he wanted to say wasn't going to be appropriate; not that what Mrs. Daniels had been doing was 'appropriate.'

Sharpay looked over at Troy as he parked the car. "It's now or never," she said quietly.

"I choose now," he said as he got out of the car. He took Sharpay's hand and they walked into the school. When they got inside, they saw a woman whom they didn't recognize. They figured that she had to be the director of the school. Troy looked over at Sharpay who just nodded.

"Excuse me," Troy said to the woman.

She turned around, "Hello, how may I help you," she asked in a pleasant voice.

"You wouldn't happen to be Shelly, would you," Sharpay asked nervously.

"Yes, I am Shelly Parker, it's nice to meet you, Mrs.—"

"Bolton. I'm Sharpay Bolton and this is my husband, Troy. Our daughter Anastasia goes here," Sharpay said as she shook Shelly's hand.

Shelly nodded, "Oh yes, I knew that a new family had just enrolled, I just wasn't sure who. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you first came; I had a family emergency and then had to go to a conference," she explained.

Troy finally spoke up, "Um, we were wondering if we could talk to you for a moment or two."

"Certainly," she said as she led them to her office. "Please, sit down," she said as she pointed to two chairs that were in front of the desk.

"Thank you," Troy said. He was silent for a few moments before continuing, "Our daughter has been coming here for the past week and a half and frankly we are quite concerned," he said as he held onto Sharpay's hand.

Shelly looked at them with concern, "What's wrong? Is she unhappy here?"

"She likes it very much, actually," Sharpay said. "But there have been three instances in which I have noticed bruises on Ana. Each one is on a different part of her body and we have a feeling that one of your staff members may be…well hitting her," Sharpay said, trying to be as blunt as possible.

Shelly just looked at her for a moment in disbelief. "Um, whose class is she in," she asked after an awkward silence.

"She is in Dana's room," Troy said.

She nodded and stood up. "Will you please excuse me for a moment," she asked as she walked to the door.

"Okay," Sharpay said, wondering what Shelly was going to do.

She returned a few minutes later with Dana in tow. "Dana, I'm sure you remember the Boltons," Shelly said as she sat back down.

Dana sat down in one of the other spare chairs in the office, "Yes, how are you? Is Ana sick today? I noticed she isn't in class today."

"No, she's not sick," Shelly said. "But the Boltons are concerned about her."

Dana nodded nervously. "I see," she said in a worried tone.

"Dana, someone has been hitting Ana," Sharpay blurted out. "I'm sorry to be so blunt about it, but that is the only way I can put it."

Shelly looked over at Dana, "Do you know anything about this," she asked.

Before Dana could answer, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Shelly said.

Mrs. Daniels walked into the office, "Shelly, I –" She noticed who was there. "Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Bolton," she said, putting on a fake smile. She looked over at Dana who just looked down at the floor.

"Hello Karen, what can I do for you," Shelly asked, noticing the sudden change of mood in the room.

"Um, I can come back later if you want –"

"You've been hitting our daughter, haven't you," Troy said before she could finish.

All eyes were suddenly on Troy. He looked over at Sharpay who just gave Karen an icy stare.

"Excuse me," Karen said as coolly as the stare Sharpay was giving her.

Shelly looked from Troy to Karen to Dana. She couldn't help but notice that Dana was wiping something from her eyes. "Dana, what's going on," Shelly asked as she handed her a tissue.

Dana looked up, her eyes red from the tears that were falling from them. "It's true," she said quietly.

Karen looked as though she was going to smack Dana over the head. "Karen, may I speak to you in private, please," Shelly asked through gritted teeth.

The two exited the room, leaving Sharpay and Troy alone with Dana. Sharpay walked over to Dana and knelt down, "Are you okay?"

Dana shook her head and looked at Sharpay. "I really thought that this was never going to happen again," she said as she wiped more tears away.

"What do you mean, by 'again,'" Troy asked.

Dana took a deep breath and looked up at him. "When I was just a little older than Ana…two years old I guess; I was having the same trouble as Ana, especially with talking." She paused, giving Troy and Sharpay time to let this set in. "Anyway, she and my father took me to the doctor and he recommended I see a specialist. That doctor was the one who diagnosed me," she said as her voice trailed off.

"Are you autistic," Sharpay asked gently.

Dana nodded, more tears coming down her cheeks. "My mom never understood why I couldn't talk like my brother and sister or could do certain things or that I would get so upset when we went to a restaurant or other crowded places. So she did the only thing she could think of to get me to speak…"

"She hit you, didn't she," Troy said.

Dana just stared into the tissue and slowly nodded.

"How long did this go on," Sharpay asked.

"When I was about four years old, I was able to talk a little more and was getting better socially, so the hitting slowed down, as did the insults. I guess it stopped all together when I turned eight and was able to really speak and was much better in public," she said as she looked at the two.

Troy shook his head, "I'm so sorry, Dana." He paused and continued, "Is your mom the one who has been hitting Ana," he asked softly.

She nodded slowly, "I'm so sorry I didn't say anything. Every time I tried to, she was in the doorway. Then when your brother and sister-in-law came to pick Ana up, I guess she suspected I had said something to you because she came into the room and…well…" She started to cry again.

"She hit you that day, didn't she," Sharpay asked.

Dana nodded, "I knew that your brother suspected something because he was asking all these questions about why I was holding my shoulder and that I looked a lot like 'Mrs. Daniels,'" she said, emphasizing her mother's name.

Sharpay looked from Dana to Troy and back to Dana. "Wait a minute, Dana your last name isn't Daniels. I remember you saying it once, but I can't remember…"

"It's Meyer, which is my father's last name. My mom got divorced when I was ten, so I kept my last name, but when she remarried, she took her husband's last name," she explained.

"Why is your mom hitting Ana? Is she hitting any of the other children," Troy asked.

"No, Ana is the only one who really reminds of her me when I was little," Dana said, ashamed of her mother.

Just then, the door opened and Karen and Shelly walked back into the room. Shelly sat down; a very concerned and stern look on her face. "Karen is there something you'd like to tell the Boltons," she said.

"I think we know what she should say," Sharpay said, looking over at Karen and then at Shelly. "Dana has already given us all of the details," she said as she scowled at Karen.

Shelly nodded, "I am so sorry; I had no idea that any of this was going on," she said apologetically. "Karen you may leave now," she said. She saw that Dana started to get up as well. "Dana, I'd like you to stay here, please," she said. Dana sat back down. After Karen left the room, Shelly turned back to Troy and Sharpay. "As of this moment, Karen is no longer working here. I cannot say how sorry I am enough," she said shaking her head. She looked over at Dana, "Don't worry, you still have a job here, but from now on if you see anything suspicious, you are to write a report about it or come to me and I'll write a report about it, okay?"

Dana nodded, "Yes ma'am." She wiped her eyes again.

Troy and Sharpay looked at each other, relief in both their faces. "Thank you for seeing us," Troy said as he and Sharpay stood up.

Shelly and Dana stood up as well. "I do hope that you will continue to send Ana here," Shelly said. "I promise that this will never happen again," she said as Dana nodded. "I trust Dana with all of the children who have PDDs or general learning disabilities," she said, smiling at Dana.

"I think we'll do a trial basis," Troy said. "Maybe start with two days a week and if all goes well, we'll go to three days and then back to five." He looked over at Sharpay. "How does that sound to you, honey?"

"Sounds good to me," she said as she leaned into him. "Dana, I am so sorry for what happened to you and we truly appreciate you telling us what you did. I'm sure that was hard for you."

"You're welcome, and I really do hope Ana comes back full time. She is really coming out of her shell. I'm sure some of that has to do with the therapist she's seeing," she said with a small smile.

"Some of it is, and I'm sure that some of it is from being here as well." Sharpay paused. "Um, I never got a chance to ask this before, but when would Karen…you know…do what she did to Ana?"

Dana sighed, "Right before naptime usually," she said as she shook her head. "There would be days when Ana would cry right before nap, mainly because she's a year and a half and just didn't want to lay down. Karen…mom didn't know of any other way to make her stop crying, so she…hit her." She shook her head, "Excuse me," she said as she cupped her hand over her mouth and ran to the restroom.

"Shelly, I need some help here, please," called one of the teachers from another classroom.

"I'll be right there," she said. "I'm sorry, I have to go…I really am sorry," she said right before she walked into the room.

Troy walked towards the room in which Shelly walked into. "I think I'm just going to see how she handles the children," he said.

Sharpay nodded, "Okay, I am going to see if Dana's all right," she said as she walked to the restroom.

Troy approached the classroom and looked in. He saw Shelly talking to a little girl who looked as though she had just gotten into trouble. The little girl was sitting on a chair, as was Shelly. There wasn't any yelling or anything of the sort. Shelly was just talking to the little girl. Troy smiled to himself.

"Dana," called Sharpay as she walked into the bathroom. She heard a toilet flush and saw Dana emerge from one of the stalls.

"Hi," she said quietly as she went to the sink to rinse her face and mouth. "I'm sorry about that, it's just talking about that always makes me sick to my stomach…literally."

Sharpay nodded and gave Dana a reassuring hug. "It'll be okay. You'll be okay. I've seen you with those kids and I can see that they really love you," she said with a smile. "I mean it. Ana doesn't walk up to just anyone. You must have some special bond with her for her to walk over to you every morning," Sharpay said as Dana gave a small smile.

"Thanks," she said. "Ana is a special girl. Then again all the kids in that class are special to me."

"Are they all um…you know, autistic," Sharpay asked.

She shook her head, "No, only Ana and one other little boy are. Another little boy has Asperger's syndrome **(A/N: this is another PDD much like Autism though it is not as serious)** and the other two suffer from severe anxiety disorders."

Sharpay nodded, "Well, you're doing a great job."

"Thanks," she said quietly. "Well I guess I should get back to class. I don't think Jessica can handle being alone much longer, so I'll see you and Ana tomorrow, I hope."

"I'm sure you will," Sharpay said with a smile.

* * *

"Wow," Gabi said after Troy and Sharpay told her, Ryan, Jason, and Kelsi what had happened. 

"Yeah, it was pretty intense," Sharpay said as she played with Ana.

"Well I'm glad that you got things straightened out," Jason said. "So are you going to send Ana back?"

"Yeah, we're going to do a trial run," Troy said. He explained what he and Sharpay had in mind.

"Sounds good," Ryan said.

Just then, Theresa came running into the room crying. "Daddy, Larissa hit me!"

Sharpay and Troy looked at each other. "So do you want to go, or should I," Troy asked.

"I'll go," Sharpay said. She walked over to where Larissa was standing and walked her upstairs.

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**End of chapter 14! Well now you know the mystery, LOL. I hope you liked this one. Oh, and a lot of this was taken from something that really happened to one of the kids at the center I work at. One of the little girls used to attend an at-home daycare and the woman who ran it actually hit her. I'm not sure why, but thankfully the parents got her out of there and the woman is now in jail. ANYWAY, please R&R!**


	15. Here We Go Again

**Okay, I decided that before I leave, I'm going to write one more (shorter than usual) chapter. I love this story and have too many ideas in my head to just let them stay there, if you know what I mean. **

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

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_**The Additions (15?)**_

**Three Weeks Later…**

After the debacle with Ana's school, Troy and Sharpay stayed true to their word and sent Ana to school only two days a week as a trial basis. On the days she didn't go, she would stay with Troy's parents.

"Okay Ana, it's time to go see Grandma," Troy said as he put her coat on.

She looked at him and frowned, "Dana," she said.

"I know you want to sweetie, but you get to go see Grandma today! She said that you are going to go to the park. Doesn't that sound fun," he asked as he picked her up.

Ana's response was another frown as she squirmed out of Troy's arms and crossed her arms.

Troy sighed. He knew how much she wanted to go back to school everyday, but he and Sharpay weren't ready for that.

"Larissa Claire, get back here right now," Sharpay said as Larissa hurried down the stairs and hid under the kitchen table.

Sharpay came downstairs and looked at Troy. "Where did she go," she asked, looking very irritated with her daughter.

"Under the table," he said, not having any idea what Larissa was up to. She had been acting out lately and they had no clue as to what was causing this.

Sharpay knelt down and put her hands around Larissa's waist and dragged her out from under the table and carried her into the living room. "You do not throw your shoes at mommy, Larissa," she said as she somehow managed to get Larissa's shoes on.

"I hate these shoes," she said as she tried to take them off.

"Well I'm sorry you do, but you are wearing those today, since your other shoes are all muddy."

"I want my princess shoes!" Larissa stomped over to where her gym shoes with Disney princesses on them were and picked them up. They were the kind of shoes that lit up when you walked.

"When we get the mud off of them, you may wear them, but for now these will have to do," Sharpay said, clearly tired from arguing with her daughter all morning. She saw Larissa's frown, "Honey, we just don't have time right now to wash the mud off. I promise that when I pick you up from school this afternoon, we'll wash them off and you can wear them, okay?"

A small smile appeared on Larissa's face. "Okay," she said with a dramatic sigh.

Troy walked over to Sharpay and Larissa, "I have to get going. I'll pick Ana up from my mom's today around 4:30," he said.

"Sounds good," Sharpay said as she gave Ana a kiss on the forehead and Troy a kiss on the lips.

"Eww, get a room," Larissa said as Troy and Sharpay laughed.

"Come on miss drama queen, let's go to school," Sharpay said as she took Larissa's hand. She placed her in her car seat and got into the car and pulled out of the driveway and took her to school.

"Ready to go to Grandma's," Troy said as he walked to his car and put Ana in her seat.

"Dana!" Ana said as she gave Troy her famous puppy dog face. **(A/N: Picture Maddie's puppy dog face in the TSL episode where her dog has to stay at the Tipton…only think of an 18 month old doing it.)**

Troy looked away, knowing that if he looked at her long enough that he would give in. "Sorry honey, we're going to Grandma's," he said as he closed the door and got into the car and drove to his mom and dad's house.

* * *

"Have a great day," Sharpay said as she gave Larissa a hug and kiss.

"Bye, mommy," she said as she walked into her class and sat down on the floor. Sharpay saw this, knowing that it wasn't like her daughter to just sit on the floor when she got to school, but didn't give it much thought. If she didn't go now, she would be late for work. She took one more look at Larissa who was still sitting on the floor looking at a book.

"Please don't be getting sick," Sharpay said to herself as she walked out of the school.

* * *

Troy pulled up to his mom and dad's house and got Ana out of the car. "Here we are," he said as he set her down and let her walk over to the front door.

Ana reached up and tried to ring the doorbell, but was about two feet too short. She jumped up and tried to reach it, but failed and began to cry. "Dada!"

He smiled and lifted her up so she could ring the doorbell.

His mother, Cindy (had to come up with a first name!) came to the door. "Well hello there," she said as she picked Ana up and gave her a hug. Ana was more interested in Cindy's buttons on her shirt and started playing with them.

"Thanks for watching her, mom," Troy said as he gave her a hug. "And I will see you this afternoon, okay?" He gave Ana a kiss on the head.

"It's no problem, honey. We'll see you later," Cindy said as she and Ana watched him walk to his car. Ana began to cry when she saw Troy walk away.

Ana began to cry when she saw Troy walk away. "Dada!" She reached out for him, even though he was already in his car and driving away. "Dada!" She continued to cry.

"Shh, it's okay sweetie, we're going to have tons of fun today. Would you like to go to the park," she said, hoping Ana would calm down. She continued to cry and squirm out of Cindy's grasp. She ran to the window and continued to cry. Cindy found one of the bears that Ana loved to play with and brought it over to her. "Look who I found," she said as she walked over to the window and showed Ana the bear.

Ana wiped her eyes and looked over at the bear and sniffled, but took the bear and looked at her Grandma and gave her a little smile. "Bew," she said as she held it up.

"That's right," Cindy said with a smile. She picked Ana up and brought her into the family room.

* * *

Larissa was moping around the classroom all morning. She didn't seem like herself and her teacher noticed.

"What's wrong, Larissa," Linda, her teacher asked.

Larissa was about to answer but started to cry instead, "My pants are wet!"

Linda looked at Larissa's pants which were indeed soaking wet. "It looks like you had an accident, honey. Here, start taking off your shoes, socks, pants, and underwear. I'm going to go to your cubby and get some clean clothes for you," she said gently, not wanting to upset the little girl anymore than she already was.

"I want my mommy," Larissa cried as she walked into the bathroom and tried to take off her shoes. When she was unsuccessful, she began to cry harder.

Alison, Linda's assistant teacher walked into the bathroom. "What's wrong, Larissa?"

"I want my mommy!" She cried as she tried to take off her shoe.

Alison helped her with her shoes, "There you go sweetie. Do you need some help with your pants as well," she asked.

Larissa shook her head 'no' and took off her pants and waited for Linda to return.

"Here we go," Linda said as she came back into the room with clean clothes. She saw that Alison was still in the bathroom with them, **(A/N: I'm sort of copying what my classroom looks like; there is a small bathroom in it)** "Alison, you need to be watching the other kids," Linda said softly.

"Right, sorry," she said as she hurried out of the bathroom just in time to break up a fight.

"Okay let's get your clothes on," Linda said after Larissa had gotten her dirty ones off. Before Linda could help her, Larissa began to look rather green.

"My tummy hurts," she said right before she threw up. Linda had seen her 'green' face and turned her in the direction of the toilet just in time. Larissa started to cry again. "Mommy!" She cried as she got sick again.

Linda rubbed her back, "It's okay, honey. You'll be okay. Let's get these clothes on you and then we're going to call your mommy to come pick you up."

Larissa nodded and allowed Linda to help her put her clothes on.

"All right, you stay here, just in case you feel ill again and I am going to go call mommy, okay," Linda said as she sat Larissa down in a chair with a trash can nearby.

"Okay," Larissa said weakly.

Linda walked over to Alison and told her what was going on with Larissa and that she would be right back. Alison walked over to Larissa and rubbed her back while keeping an eye on the other children.

Linda walked into the office and found Larissa's file. She knew Sharpay would be at work, so she decided to call the school and have them page her since Sharpay had told her that she wasn't allowed to have her cell phone with her while teaching. Linda picked up the phone and called the school.

* * *

"Okay so let's try this again," Sharpay said to her class. "Sarah, start from 'Summer lovin' happened so fast,'" **(A/N: Hehe, since I've always thought HSM is so similar to Grease, why not put a song from there into here?) **she instructed her student. Before Sarah began, however, a young woman walked over to Sharpay.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Bolton but your daughter's school called and needs you to call back right away," she said.

Sharpay sighed, "Okay um, Jack you're in charge," she said to her student teacher, thanking her lucky stars that she was assigned a student teacher.

"Here, use line 2," the assistant said.

"Thanks," Sharpay said as she dialed the number.

"Albuquerque Country Day Preschool office, how may I help you," the director, Amy said.

"Hi Amy, it's Sharpay Bolton. I just received a message that you called," Sharpay said.

Amy seemed confused but then remembered that Linda had to come in and use the phone. "Oh yes that's right. Let me get Linda for you, just a moment."

Sharpay started pacing. _Don't be sick, Larissa, please don't be sick,_ Sharpay thought to herself while she waited for Linda to come to the phone.

"Mrs. Bolton," Linda asked as she picked up the phone.

"Linda, hi, I just got a message that you called, what's going on," Sharpay asked in a worried tone.

"Larissa had an accident and then before I could put a new pair of pants on her, she got sick…twice," she said.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can," Sharpay said as she hung up the phone. She turned to the assistant who gave her the message, "Will you please tell the principal that I have to pick up my daughter? She got sick at school," Sharpay said as she walked out of the office and back to her room to get her things.

* * *

Linda walked back into the room and over to Larissa who had calmed down and was drawing a picture. "Your mommy is on her way, sweetie. I just called her."

Larissa looked up and nodded, "Okay," she said quietly as she went back to her drawing.

Linda felt Larissa's forehead. "That's odd, you don't feel warm," she said.

Two minutes later, Sharpay rushed into the room, "I'm so sorry I'm late," she said as she hurried over to Larissa. "Hi honey," she said as she picked her up.

"Mommy!" Larissa began to cry again, "Sorry," she said through her tears.

"Oh sweetie, there's nothing to be sorry about. This isn't your fault," Sharpay said as she hugged and kissed her daughter. She looked up at Linda. "Thank you so much for taking care of her. What exactly happened?"

"Well she was acting very un-Larissa like and then she wet her pants and not long after that, she got sick. She doesn't have a fever, so I'm not sure what it could be."

Sharpay just nodded and looked at Larissa. "Thanks again," she said as she walked out of the room with Larissa in her arms. She took the bag of clothes that needed to be washed and walked her to the car and put her in her car seat. "Okay honey, let's go."

"Home," she asked.

"No, I made an appointment with the doctor to see if she knows what might be wrong," Sharpay said as she got into the car, started it and pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the doctor.

* * *

**Okay, I'm ending the chapter here. It was longer than I was planning, LOL. Anyway, I figured I would give you all a preview of what to expect since I won't be updating for a few days:**

"_So if she doesn't have the stomach flu or anything else like that, what does she have," a worried Sharpay asked._

_The doctor looked at her and sighed, "It seems as though Larissa …………"_

_

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"_Wisa," Ana said quietly to her sister._

"_Did you hear that," Troy said excitedly to Sharpay._

"_I did," she said with a smile._

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**Well, that's all! Happy Easter to those who celebrate it and Happy Passover to those who celebrate that – like me. :)'See' you on Sunday evening!**


	16. Surprise x 2

**I'm back from Chicago! Had a great Seder and it was really nice to see all of my family (I haven't seen most of them for about a year!) again. **

**Okay so I promised that when I got back I'd have another chapter for you. Well, I am keeping my promise. So without further ado, here is chapter 16.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters that I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

**A/N: Okay I am basing what Larissa has on what had happened to me when I was about 3 years old. I had to ask my mom to make sure of what I had before I wrote this, just to make sure! Oh, and I'm NOT a doctor so things may not be 100 accurate. **

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_**The Additions (16?)**_

Larissa was silent during the entire drive to the doctor's office. Sharpay was a bit concerned when she looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Larissa was just sitting there, looking out the window. She was normally very talkative or would play with one of the dolls that was always sitting in the car. The silence was broken when Sharpay parked the car and walked to the back door.

"Okay, we're here sweetheart," she said as she opened the door and took Larissa out of the car.

Larissa was silent for a moment, but as soon as Sharpay removed her from the car, Larissa started to wail. "I want home!" She screamed through her tears.

"Shh," Sharpay said as she picked Larissa up and walked into the building. Larissa was still crying when they reached the waiting room, but had quieted down just enough so that none of the other patients had to cover their ears. Sharpay walked to the reception desk. "Hi, I made an appointment for my daughter, Larissa Bolton to see Dr. Turner," Sharpay said to the receptionist.

"Okay, please sign in," the lady said as Sharpay took the pen, moved Larissa to her other arm and signed her in.

"Why don't we go sit down," Sharpay said once she was finished signing in. They found two chairs that were not near anyone else, since Sharpay was worried that Larissa had the stomach flu.

Larissa just sat there, staring at her feet. "I want home," she said quietly.

"I know you do, and we will go home after we see the doctor," Sharpay said as she placed Larissa on her lap. Larissa just buried her face into Sharpay's shirt.

"Larissa Bolton," a nurse asked.

"Right here," Sharpay said as she stood up, still holding Larissa.

"Please follow me," the nurse said as they walked back to one of the exam rooms. "So what brings you in today," the nurse asked once they reached their destination.

"Well Larissa wet her pants at school today…something she normally doesn't do and then she threw up twice," Sharpay explained.

The nurse nodded and jotted everything Sharpay said down. "Okay, I just need to take your temperature," she said as she picked up the ear thermometer.

"NO!" Larissa yelled, covering her ears.

"Larissa, please, just let her take your temperature," Sharpay said as she managed to loosen one of Larissa's hands.

The nurse quickly took her temperature. "98.8," she said. "Well, she doesn't have a fever, but we won't rule anything out just yet," she said. "The doctor will be here in a few minutes," she said as she walked out of the room.

"I want home," Larissa said again.

"I know, but like I said before, after we see Dr. Turner, we can go home, all right?"

Larissa just sat there with her arms crossed.

* * *

Meanwhile, over at the park, Ana was busy playing in the sand. Cindy (Troy's mom) watched her and smiled. She remembered when she used to take Troy to the same park when he was little. He loved the sandbox as well. "Ana, would you like to swing," Cindy asked her granddaughter. When Ana didn't answer, Cindy walked over to her, "Ana would you like to swing," she asked again.

Ana looked up and smiled an indication that usually meant 'yes.'

Cindy picked her up and walked her over to the swings and placed her in one of the swings that was meant for small children. She gently pushed her and could hear Ana squealing with delight. She had remembered Troy telling her that Ana loved the swing in their backyard.

"No," Ana said, indicating that she wanted to get down from the swing. She hadn't learned to say 'down' yet, so 'no' was the closest thing.

"You ready to get down," Cindy asked as she slowed the swing to a stop. "Okay," she said as she lifted Ana out of the swing. She saw her yawn. "Ah, I think somebody needs a nap," she said as she carried her over to the car. She placed her in her car seat and drove back to the house where she placed Ana in the crib that was set up in the guest room for whenever she stayed over.

Ana started to cry when she saw the crib, so Cindy decided to sit down in the rocking chair that was in the room and gently rocked Ana back and forth until the little girl was fast asleep. She then placed her in her crib, turned on the baby monitor, and walked downstairs.

* * *

It was another ten minutes before Dr. Turner walked in and those ten minutes were spent with Larissa continuing to cry and tempt her mother into taking her home. "Larissa, stop. We are waiting for the doctor," Sharpay said firmly.

Larissa looked up at Sharpay and simply climbed back into her lap.

The door then opened, "Hello I'm so sorry I took so long," Dr. Turner said as she walked into the room with Larissa's chart in her hand.

"That's all right," Sharpay said as she felt Larissa cling to her shirt.

Dr. Turner looked down at Larissa, "So I hear you don't feel very well today," she said quietly to her.

Larissa took one look at the doctor and buried her face into Sharpay's shirt…again. "Home," she muttered.

"Let's see," the doctor said as she looked at her chart, "She got sick at school and had an accident." Dr. Turner went to the counter and took out a tongue depressor. "Larissa, can you say 'Ah' for me?"

Larissa shook her head 'no' with her face still buried in her mom's shirt.

Sharpay sighed, "Can you maybe look in her throat with her on my lap," she asked.

"Of course," the doctor said. "Would you rather we do it that way, Larissa?"

Larissa looked at the doctor and nodded and opened her mouth.

Dr. Turner placed the tongue depressor on Larissa's tongue and looked at her throat. "Well, it doesn't look red, just irritated from when she got sick this morning," she said as she took the depressor out and threw it away. She looked at the chart again. "Well, what is concerning me is the fact that she had an accident when she normally doesn't. Does she ever have an accident at home," she asked Sharpay.

"Well she has every once in a while, but only when she gets really upset or just doesn't make it to the bathroom in time," Sharpay said.

The doctor nodded and wrote this down. "Has her mood ever changed suddenly, for example, is she happy one minute and then if one little thing goes wrong, she gets upset over it, such as throwing a tantrum?"

Sharpay thought for a moment and then remembered that morning. "As a matter of fact, yes; this morning she wanted to wear one pair of shoes, but they were all dirty so she had to wear a different pair. She got very angry and ended up throwing the shoe at me," Sharpay said.

"I see," the doctor said. "When you leave her at school, does she ever cry for you as you walk out the door, other than the first day she was there?"

She thought for a moment, "She gets sad sometimes or even mopey, like this morning. She just seemed very out of sorts. Then when I got a call saying that she got sick, I just assumed that it was the flu or something."

Dr. Turner sighed, "Well, I have a feeling that it's not the flu or any other _physical_ illness," she said.

Sharpay looked confused, "What do you mean it's not anything physical?" She now had a worried look on her face, "So if it's not the stomach flu or any other physical illness, what does she have?"

The doctor looked at her and sighed, "Well I'm not a psychiatrist, but from all of the symptoms you have given me, it seems as though Larissa has what is known as General Anxiety Disorder, otherwise known as GAD." She saw the now very frightened look on Sharpay's face. "It's not as serious as what you're thinking, Mrs. Bolton. Anxiety is treatable and is very common in children," she said, hoping to calm Sharpay down.

"Wait a minute," Sharpay said as she held her daughter close to her, "How did she get this? I mean, has she had the entire time she's been with us? Did she have it beforehand?"

"Well, anxiety is usually genetic, but can also be brought on by a sudden change in environment or even subtle changes," she explained.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Sharpay asked, "So what do we do? And where does her throwing up come into all of this…or wetting her pants for that matter?"

"Nausea and vomiting are actually hallmark signs of anxiety, believe it or not. It usually only occurs when the person is having an anxiety or panic attack, however." **(A/N: I had my fair share of these when I was little, so this I know is factual)**

"Anxiety attacks and panic attacks?" Sharpay was now panicking.

"Um, well it's similar to what you're doing right now. Since I'm telling you all of this, you are naturally frightened and it's causing you to have a panic attack and I am pretty sure that Larissa either had an anxiety or panic attack in school today, which led her to be sick to her stomach," she explained. She noticed Sharpay calm down a bit.

Sharpay took a deep breath, "So how do we treat this? Do we give her medication? And how do we know she's having an attack? Do we wait for her to throw up?"

The doctor shook her head, "No. There are medications out there that are quite effective in treating anxiety, but I'm not sure that I want to medicate her quite yet, since she's only three years old. The only medication I would prescribe would be for the anxiety/panic attacks, and you'll know the signs when you see them: sudden mood change, she may wet her pants, feel sick, become irritable…the list goes on and on. If you'd like I can give you some information on GAD."

"Please, I would like to learn more about this," Sharpay said as she rubbed Larissa's back.

"Okay, I'll be right back," she said.

"Wait," Sharpay said. "So if she has anxiety attack, or is showing signs of having one, that's when we would give her the medicine?"

"Yes, that's exactly what you would do," she said as she went to go get the information packet. She returned a moment later, "Here you go, it explains everything."

"Thank you…also, what sort of treatment did you have in mind," Sharpay asked.

Dr. Turner looked at the chart. "Well, since she is 3 years old, I would recommend Ativan. It's an anti-anxiety drug and it's a liquid, so you don't have to worry about a pill to swallow. I recommend giving it to her twice a day…once in the morning and once in the evening, ½ a teaspoon each time." **(A/N: Just asked my mom about this; looked it up and yep, doctors do give this to kids with anxiety…it really helps when your mom is a nurse, LOL)**

Sharpay nodded, "Um do you mind if I talk about this with my husband before we give her anything,"

"Of course, I would highly recommend doing that. Would you like for me to write the prescription out right now so that if you two do decide to give it to her then you have the prescription," she asked.

"That would be good, thank you. And thank you so much for all your help, really," Sharpay said as she stood up, Larissa still clinging to her.

"No problem," Dr. Turner said. "And please give me a call if and when you start giving her the medicine and please let me know how she reacts to it."

"We will thank you again." Sharpay smiled and with Larissa still in her arms, walked out of the office and into the waiting room. "Okay, let's go," she said as she set her down.

"Home," Larissa said, speaking for the first time in 15 minutes.

"Well, I'd like to go see daddy and tell him about this, so let's go to the restaurant," Sharpay said as they walked out to the car.

* * *

Troy took a deep breath, trying not to start yelling again. The printers had screwed up the menus and he and Jason had been on the phone all day with them, trying to get the printers to reprint the menus. They weren't having much luck.

"If one more person gives me bad news today, I don't know what I'm going to do," Troy said as he went through and crossed something else off the menu that the printers had screwed up. As if fate was looking down on him, Sharpay and Larissa walked in right after Troy said this. ((And we all know how he already feels about "bad news"…)) He looked up, confused, "Why hello," he said as Larissa ran over to him and hugged him.

"Hi Daddy," she said with a smile.

Sharpay walked over to him, "Hello." She saw Jason walk by, "Hi Jason, how are you?"

"Let's just say I've been better," he said grumpily.

"Uh oh, what happened," Sharpay asked.

Troy sighed, "The printers screwed up again. I am so sick of bad news today." He paused, "Um, why aren't the two of you in school?"

Sharpay laughed nervously, "You know what, we can always come back or even talk tonight if you'd like…"

"Nah, what's going on," he asked.

"Can we go sit down somewhere," she asked softly.

Troy's smiled diminished from his face, "Why do I have the feeling you're not here to tell me something great happened today?"

"Because I'm not," she said as the three sat down. She took a deep breath. "Okay, here's what happened: Larissa got sick at school, I picked her up, took her to the doctor, and the doctor told me that she doesn't have the flu, but instead she has a General Anxiety Disorder," she said in one breath.

Troy sat there for a moment, attempting to understand what his wife just said. "Okay, can you say that again, only about 5 times slower?"

Sharpay explained everything to him and then handed him the packet the doctor gave her. "This explains what Larissa has," she said.

Troy just sat there, staring at Sharpay. "Great, just great," he said as he covered his eyes and rubbed them. "As if I'm not under enough stress already."

"I told you that we could talk at home about this," she said, her voice beginning to crack. "You think that I wasn't scared? I nearly had a mental breakdown in the doctor's office," she said in a loud whisper, but quiet enough so Larissa, who was sitting in a booth couldn't' hear her.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just this is, well a bit of a shock, you know?" He paused, "Then again, it makes sense. All those temper tantrums, mood changes, now throwing up…" He nodded, "It does make sense…in a weird way."

She smiled a little, "Yes, it does."

* * *

_**Saturday**_

"Shar, Larissa and I are going to the store," Troy said from the kitchen.

"Okay," Sharpay said from the den. She was working on lesson plans for the next week.

"Daddy, you said never lie," Larissa said. "Are we going to the store," she asked.

"Shh," he said with a wink. He then grabbed Sharpay's keys and walked outside, placed Larissa in her seat and drove off.

"Is this it," Larissa asked when they arrived.

"This is it," Troy said with a smile. "Which one do you think mommy would like for her birthday," Troy asked.

Larissa surveyed all of them, mainly looking at the colors. "This one," she said, pointing to one of them.

Troy nodded, "Good choice."

* * *

"Mommy! Come outside," Larissa said with a grin.

"Honey, mommy's very busy right now," Sharpay said with a sigh.

Troy walked into the den. "Come on, you'll like this, trust me." He put a blindfold on her and led her outside.

"Troy, I really don't have time for this. I need to get back to my…what the…" She said when Troy took off the blindfold.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," he said.

Sharpay just stared, "Troy…is this…for me?"

"It is. I decided that you had enough suffering with the other one, so for your birthday, I, along with Larissa got you something you could really use."

Sharpay walked around the silver minivan that was sitting in the driveway. She then looked at Troy and Larissa. "Thank you!" She hugged both tightly.

"Want to drive it," he asked, opening the driver's side door.

"Absolutely," she said. "Wait a minute, something's missing," she said.

"What's that," Troy asked.

"Ana!" Sharpay ran back into the house and saw Ana, still sitting on the floor. "Oh honey, I am so sorry," she said as she picked her up. "Come see what daddy and Larissa got me." She walked her outside.

Ana looked at the car and then at Larissa. "Wisa," she said, pointing to her sister.

"Did you hear that," Sharpay said excitedly to Troy.

"I did," he said with a smile.

* * *

**Okay, no cliffhanger this time, but now at least you know what's wrong with Larissa. So next time: how to treat Larissa's anxiety…medicine or no medicine? What do you think they should do? Tell me in your review! **


	17. Medicine

**Hello, me again. I have decided to post yet another chapter tonight. Thank you Ashley-Tisdale-Fanatic for your input! I was leaning toward that direction anyway. **

**Also, please remember: I'm not a doctor, but some of the things I am writing about Larissa and her anxiety is really true (I know because the same thing happened to me all throughout my childhood), so just wanted to let you all know that!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

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_**The Additions (17?)**_

**The Same Day…**

Sharpay walked over to Ana and picked her up. "That's right, Ana; that is Larissa. I'm so proud of you!" She kissed Ana on the forehead.

Troy walked over to them, "So do you want to go for a test drive," he asked, knowing what the answer would be.

"Goodness yes! Troy, how did you know that I wanted this car in this color," she asked, looking at the 2006 Chrysler Town & Country minivan that was in the driveway.

"Hmm, maybe because I have seen you surfing the net only every time you get on the computer and I see you looking at this car," he said smiling.

"Have I told you that I love you lately," she asked.

He thought for a moment, "I could always hear it again."

"I love you, Troy Bolton!"

"What about me," Larissa asked as she walked up to her parents.

"Oh I love you too, Larissa," Sharpay said as she kissed her forehead.

* * *

**Sunday…**

"Breakfast is ready," Sharpay called as she set the pancakes she made on the table along with scrambled eggs and strawberries.

"We're coming," Troy called from upstairs. He turned to Ana, "Are you ready to have breakfast," he asked. She simply smiled and pointed to the stairs. "I guess that would be a 'yes,'" he said as he picked her up. "Come on Larissa, let's go have breakfast," he said.

"No," she said as she sat on her bed.

"I'll be right back," he told her as he went downstairs and put Ana in her highchair.

Sharpay smiled, "Wait, where's Larissa," she asked.

"Still upstairs, I'm going to go ask her why she doesn't want breakfast," he said as he went back upstairs and into Larissa's room. "So, what's up? How come you're not hungry," he asked as he sat on the bed.

She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. "I don't want to go to school tomorrow," she said as she looked down at her bedspread.

"Why's that," he asked as he moved closer to her.

"Daddy, I got sick there!" She started to cry softly. "They will make fun of me!" She buried her face into Troy's lap.

He picked her up and placed her on his lap, but she just buried her head again, this time in his shirt. "Honey, it's okay. No one will make fun of you, and even if they do, Miss Linda will stop them. You have nothing to worry about," he said gently.

She looked up at him and wiped her eyes, "Really?"

"Yes, really," he said as he stood up with her in his arms. "So are you ready for breakfast?"

She nodded, "Yep!" And with that, she skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Okay what just happened here," Troy said to himself. He decided he needed to talk to Sharpay.

* * *

**That Afternoon…**

Sharpay placed Ana in her crib. She had fallen asleep while watching "Sleeping Beauty." "Larissa, it's naptime, honey," she said as she walked the very tired little girl to her bed.

"I don't want a nap," she said as she yawned and lay down. As soon as she did, she fell asleep.

"I think you do," Sharpay said as she kissed her and covered her up. She watched Larissa sleep for a few minutes before going downstairs where she saw Troy sitting in the living room. "What's up," she asked.

He took a deep breath, "Okay, remember what you told me about that anxiety thing that Larissa has," he said.

She nodded, "General Anxiety Disorder, yes I remember, why?" She sat down next to him on the couch.

"Well, I think that she had another attack this morning before breakfast. She was afraid to go to school tomorrow," he said as he looked over at her.

Sharpay sighed, "I had a feeling that was going to happen. She's so sensitive, Troy. I think that we need to put her on that medicine."

He nodded, "So do I. I just…I don't know, she's so young to have to take medicine that isn't for an infection or something like that."

"I know but it's for the best. Think about it; what are we going to do the next time she throws a tantrum about where she wants to sit in the car," she said recalling the previous afternoon when Larissa wanted to sit behind the passenger side but was put behind the driver's side.

"See, I know you're right, I am just afraid that she'll lose her spunk, you know," he said as he took her hand. "I don't want that to happen."

"I looked at the side effects of the medication, and it said that the main side effect was drowsiness, but she has so much energy that I don't think it'll bother her that much. Besides it's only ½ a teaspoon twice a day," she said as she looked up at him.

He nodded, "Okay how about this: let's put her on the medicine on a trial basis. If she seems to improve, we'll keep her on it, but if she keeps throwing fits and getting attacks and whatnot, we'll go back to the doctor and tell her that it isn't working. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan," she said as she hugged him.

* * *

**Monday Morning…**

While the kids were napping on Sunday, Sharpay had gone to fill the prescription. She was told that the medicine had a strawberry flavor to it and that Larissa should be able to take it without any problems. **(A/N: I have actually heard that with medicines nowadays, you can request for an extra fee of course that the medicine have a flavor…how medicine has evolved, lol)**

"Larissa, come here for a minute, honey," Sharpay said at breakfast.

Larissa got out of her chair and walked over to Sharpay. "What, mommy?"

"We're going to try something new today. It is going to help you feel better at school," she said, hoping Larissa would buy into it.

She shook her head 'no.' "I don't want any! It will taste yucky like that other stuff," she said, remembering the medicine she had to take for an ear infection she had.

"No, this tastes much better, I promise. Please sweetie, you need to take it."

Larissa ran from the kitchen and went into her room and hid in her favorite place: under Ana's bed.

Troy saw this and went upstairs after her. "Larissa come on, you know better than this. You don't run away from mommy," he said as calmly as possible.

"I don't want any stupid medicine!" She yelled.

"First of all, we don't say the word 'stupid' in this house. Second, you do not yell in this house," he said, his voice becoming sterner.

"No, I don't want it!" She screamed.

Troy then decided it was time to pull her out from under the bed, "Come on, let's go," he said as he carried her down the stairs, kicking and screaming. He sat her in a chair and knelt down to her height. "I know you don't want to take this, but it really will make you feel better," he said.

She shook her head 'no.'

Troy and Sharpay looked at one another and decided that they couldn't force her to take it. "Okay how does this sound," Troy said, "Once you get to school, you take it."

Larissa thought about this for a moment, "Okay," she said quietly.

Sharpay sighed, "Great. I'll just put this in a bag for now and when we get to school you'll take it, okay?"

She nodded, knowing that she wasn't going to win this battle.

* * *

"Here we are," Sharpay said as she got out of the car and walked to the back door and opened it. She got Larissa out of her seat and walked her into the school.

When they reached the classroom, Larissa stopped, causing Sharpay to nearly fall over. "I don't want to go in," she said as tears gathered in her eyes. "They will laugh at me."

Sharpay bent down, "No they won't, I promise. Now do you remember our deal," she said. Larissa nodded and opened her mouth and allowed Sharpay to give her the medicine. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it," she said once Larissa swallowed it.

She shook her head. "It tastes like strawberries," she said with a small smile.

Sharpay nodded, "Yep, I had them make it that way just for you," she said as she walked Larissa into the room. She spoke to Linda about what was going on and what to do if Larissa started to have an anxiety attack.

"Don't worry, I have taken care of many children who have all kinds of anxiety issues," she said gently.

"Thank you," Sharpay said. "Okay, I have to go now, can I get a hug," she said to Larissa.

Larissa walked up and hugged Sharpay. "Bye, mommy," she said as she walked over to the housekeeping area and started to play. Sharpay saw this and sighed with relief. _Please let this work,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

**Hehe, cliffhanger! I'm just very tired and didn't want to write a long chapter, so here is this one! I hope you like it and I would REALLY love it if you gave me your opinions on whether you want the medicine to work or not…trust me, sometimes it takes several medicines before you find the right one. Anyway, please let me know in your review or PM me! And don't forget about Ana:-) There will be more to come with her as well.**


	18. Sick, Sick, Sick

**I would just like to thank everyone for reviewing so far…86 reviews total…WOW! Thanks so much, guys. That really means a lot. As other writers will tell you, it really does help inspire us to write more! Anyway, on to chapter 18.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

**A/N: Again, I'm not a doctor so please excuse any inaccuracies!**

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_**The Additions (18?)**_

Two weeks after being put on medication, Larissa had finally begun to relax and wasn't acting out as much. She still had the occasional tantrum and still had problem with yelling, but it was clear that the medicine had finally begun to work. Troy and Sharpay were relieved that Larissa and Ana were both doing better mentally. Physically, however, was another story.

* * *

**Monday – 3:00 AM**

Troy and Sharpay woke up to the sound of coughing and crying that was coming from the girls' room. "Do you want to go check, or should I," a sleepy Troy asked Sharpay who simply groaned. "I guess I will," he said as he got up and walked into the girls' room and turned on a lamp so the room wouldn't be flooded with light. He saw Ana sitting up in her crib crying; she had been coughing and it woke her up. "Hey there," Troy said as he picked up the little girl and held her in his arms. "What's wrong," Ana," he asked.

She wiped her pink puffy eyes and pointed to her throat. "Dada," she said hoarsely through her sobs.

Troy felt her forehead and his eyes went wide. "You're burning up," he said as he took off her long sleeve pajama top and replaced it with a short sleeve top.

Sharpay, unable to fall back asleep from all of the crying, walked into the room. "What's going on," she asked as she yawned.

"Ana's burning up, coughing, and pointing to her throat," Troy said as he looked around the room for the thermometer. He found it, put it in her ear and waited for the beep. He looked at it, eyes wider than they were before.

"Troy, what is it," Sharpay asked, becoming worried.

"She is running a fever of 104.6," he said as calmly as possible.

It was now Sharpay's turn to be shocked. "We need to go to the hospital," she said as she found some socks and shoes for Ana.

"What about Larissa," Troy asked. She was beginning to wake up from all of the noise.

"Let's call Ryan and Gabriella. They live the closest," Sharpay said. "We'll see if we can drop her off there," she said as she took Ana from Troy so he could go call Ryan and Gabi.

"Okay," he said as he hurried out of the room.

"Mommy," a groggy Larissa said.

She looked over at Larissa, "Hi sweetie," Sharpay said as she walked over to Ana with a cold cloth.

"What's wrong?" She looked from Sharpay to Ana and back to Sharpay.

"You sister isn't feeling well," Sharpay said as she applied the cloth to Ana who was still crying and coughing. "Does that feel better," she asked Ana.

Ana's sobs lessened, but she continued to point to her throat as she coughed.

"I know it hurts, honey," she said as she picked her back up and put the cloth on the rest of her face and arms.

Troy came back into the room, "Ryan said it's no problem for Larissa to stay with them while we go," he said.

"No, I want to go with you," Larissa said as a worried look overcame her face.

Troy picked her up, "I know you do, sweetheart, but mommy and daddy could be there for a long time and you will probably get bored and want to go back to sleep, so you get to go to Aunt Gabi and Uncle Ryan's house," he said, trying to sound upbeat.

"NO!" She screamed, causing Ana to start screaming again. "I want to come with you!"

Troy decided that now was a good time to get some clothes for Larissa and get her dressed in the other room. "Let's go," he said as he picked her up. He ignored her screaming and protesting as he put on her shoes and socks and put her clothes into an overnight bag so Ryan and Gabi could get her dressed for school. He then peeked into the other room where Sharpay and Ana still were, "We'll be in the car," he said as he walked downstairs and into the garage.

"I want to go with you!" Larissa yelled.

"I'm sorry honey, but you are going to your aunt and uncle's house. End of discussion," he said as he managed to put her in her car seat even though she was kicking in every direction.

"Okay, we're ready," Sharpay said as she came out with Ana who had stopped crying. She was clutching her bear in her hands as Sharpay strapped her into her car seat.

Larissa looked over at her, "This is your fault," she said to her sister.

"Larissa, don't you ever say that again," Sharpay scolded her. "I know that you would not like it at all if someone said something like that to you, especially if you couldn't help it."

Larissa just stared in front of her, arms crossed.

* * *

Sharpay had decided to wait in the car with Ana while Troy brought Larissa up to the house. She had been silent the entire drive over, which relieved Troy and Sharpay from having to deal with two screaming children.

Her silence, however, was broken when they reached the front door. "I don't want to stay here," she yelled as she tried to run back to the car.

Troy held her back and picked her up. "What did I say earlier, Larissa," he said. "You are staying here until your mommy and I get back with your sister," he said, beginning to lose his patience. He made sure her medicine was in her bag. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw it.

Ryan soon opened the door, "Hi there," he said, looking as though he had been up for a while.

"I cannot thank you two enough for doing this," Troy said as he handed Ryan Larissa's bag.

"It's no problem; I know you'd do the same for us," he said.

Troy paused before speaking again, "We have done the same for you. Remember when Gabi kept getting sick and you didn't know why?"

Ryan nodded, "Oh yeah, well now we know," he said as he thought about his now 3 month pregnant wife.

"Anyway," Troy said, "She's in a bit of a bad mood right now."

"How'd you know that Gabi was still in a bad mood," Ryan asked, earning a look from Troy.

"I'm talking about Larissa you goofball," he said with a smirk. "She's not exactly happy about having to stay here."

"She'll be fine, Troy," Gabi said, coming to the door and motioning for him to hand Larissa over to her.

"Thanks guys," he said as he handed Larissa to Gabi.

As soon as he did, Larissa started yelling and screaming again. "Daddy don't go!" She yelled, tears streaming down her face. He hesitated, but was literally shooed off by Ryan and Gabi. He thanked them again and got back into the car and drove to the hospital.

* * *

"I'm going to drop you two off and then park the car," Troy said as he pulled up in front of the ER.

"Okay," Sharpay said as she got out and then took Ana out of the car and walked into the hospital. She walked over to the desk, "Hi my daughter woke up with a bad cough and what seems like a sore throat and is running a very high temperature," she said.

The woman at the desk nodded, "Please fill out these forms and the doctor will see you as soon as possible," she said.

"Thanks," Sharpay said as she took the clipboard with the forms on it and made her way to the waiting area, which was nearly empty. She sat down and began to fill everything out, but started to panic when it came to one of the areas.

Troy walked in and found Sharpay who was close to crying. He hurried over, "What's wrong? Is her fever up? Did she cough something up," he asked, nearly frantic.

"No," Sharpay said. "I can't find my insurance card to write down the information," she said, fumbling through her purse.

Troy sighed, "It's all right, I'll handle that part." He took the forms from her and filled out the rest of them and handed them back to the woman at the desk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bolton," a doctor called out 20 minutes later.

"That's us," Troy said as he helped Sharpay stand up, since Ana was still in her arms.

"Please follow me," the doctor said. He walked them into a room and closed the door. "So what seems to be the problem," he asked.

"Our daughter has a very high fever, she's coughing, and we think her throat hurts," Sharpay said quickly.

The doctor nodded and took her temperature. "104.8," he said as he wrote it down. He then felt Ana's throat, causing her to start crying again from the pain it was causing. "Do you think you can get her to open her mouth for me," he asked gently, seeing the fear in Sharpay's eyes.

She nodded, "Ana, go 'Ahhh,'" Sharpay said to Ana, who copied her mother.

The doctor looked in her throat, "Yep, just as I thought," he said. He then pulled her shirt up and looked at her stomach and back. "Was this here earlier," he asked, indicating a rather large rash that was on Ana's stomach.

"I didn't see it earlier," Sharpay said. "Did you, Troy?"

He shook his head, "No, I didn't."

The doctor nodded and looked at her legs, causing Ana to flinch from his hands being cold. "And what about this rash here," he asked.

The two shook their heads again, looking worried. "What is it," Sharpay asked, on the verge of tears.

"It's a classic case of Scarlet Fever," he said. "Basically it's Strep with a rash, hence the name 'Scarlet Fever.' It's very common in children this age and will go away within a week or so with antibiotics." He looked at their faces and saw how worried they still were, "I promise you that you don't need to worry. Just make sure she takes the medicine and drinks as many fluids as possible and she'll be back to herself within a few days, but give her the medicine for the entire 10 days and then go to your pediatrician to make sure it really is gone," he said.

Troy nodded, "Thank you," he said with a sigh of relief.

"Um, is it contagious," Sharpay asked.

"Yes, it's very contagious," the doctor said. "Do you have another child or children at home?" They nodded, "Well then I would highly suggest moving one of them to another room until the rash is gone at the very least. When that's gone, then she won't be quite as contagious," he said.

Sharpay nodded, "Okay, thank you."

Troy made sure to tell the doctor what medicines she was allergic to, even though it was already written on one of the forms they filled out, just to be safe.

The doctor gave them a prescription. "Get this filled as fast as you can and give her twice the required dosage the first time you give it to her," he said. "Also, make sure she takes it with food because sometimes…."

"Sometimes what," Sharpay asked.

"Sometimes if it isn't taken with food, it will make the child ill to his or her stomach and cause them to be sick," he said.

"Thank you again," she said as she shook his hand and stood up carrying a now sleeping Ana. "Oh, when do you expect her throat to feel better," she asked.

He thought for a moment, "I'd say within the next couple of days. Strep is one of the infections that goes away quicker than most," he said.

Troy sighed, "Thank goodness for that." He looked over at Sharpay and then at the doctor. "Thanks again." He looked back at Sharpay, "Ready to go," he asked.

"Yes," she said as they walked out of the room.

"I'll go get the car," Troy said.

Sharpay nodded and looked at Ana who was still sleeping, but coughing frequently. She saw Troy's car pull up and walked out of the ER and gently placed Ana into her car seat. "So," she said once they were on the road again, "Who are we going to move; Ana or Larissa?"

Troy sighed, "Well, since we have another bed in the guest room and since the guardrails on Larissa's bed are removable, let's just move her. I mean, it's easier than having to take apart the crib; plus, Ana's germs are all over the room. The last thing Larissa needs…that we need is for her to get sick too," he said.

"Good point," Sharpay said. She looked at her watch, "It's 6:30, should we pick Larissa up now or go home, drop me and Ana off and then go pick her up?"

"Let's drop Ana off so that if Larissa is still in a bad mood, she won't be able to wake Ana. Plus, it will give us a chance to move some of her things into the guest room." He sighed, "She is _not_ going to like having to sleep in another room."

"Tell me about it," Sharpay said as they reached their house.

* * *

It was 7:30 by the time Troy pulled into Ryan and Gabriella's driveway. He noticed that there was no newspaper sitting in the driveway, so he figured they were up. He parked the car and knocked on the door, just in case the kids were still asleep.

Ryan came to the door, looking more awake this time, "Hey, so what's the diagnosis," he asked as he motioned for Troy to come in.

"Scarlet Fever," Troy said.

Ryan cringed, "Ouch, I had that when I was a kid. The rash was the worst part. It was so itchy. Make sure you get some cream or something for the rash so Ana doesn't scratch it. The last thing you want is for her to infect the rash."

Troy nodded, "Thanks, I'll make sure we have some and if we don't I can always pick some up when I go to pick up the medicine." He took a deep breath, "So, how was Larissa for you?"

"Daddy!" Larissa came running to where Troy was. He saw that she was now dressed.

Gabi followed close behind, along with Theresa. "She was fine after you left," Gabi said. "We put her in the other bed in Theresa's room and she fell right to sleep."

"She messed up my animals," Theresa said as she stuck her tongue out at Larissa.

"Theresa Anne, what did we just talk about," Gabi said, taking her back to where they were.

Ryan shook his head, "Let's just say that when Theresa woke up, she wasn't thrilled that she was sharing her room."

"Theresa yelled at me," Larissa said to Troy.

"I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it," he said.

She shrugged and did her best to pull Troy out of the house and to the car. "Come on daddy, I want to go home," she said.

"Thanks again," Troy said to Ryan.

"No problem, let us know how Ana is doing," he said.

"Will do," Troy said and smiled and looked down at Ana. "Want to run a few errands before we go home," he asked, dreading having to tell her that she was moving; for now anyway.

"Okay," she said.

"So," Troy said once they were in the car and on their way to the pharmacy, "Your sister has something that is very easy to catch," he said, trying to put it in laymen's terms as best he could, "And we thought that it would be best if you slept in the room next to yours for the time being."

He looked in the rearview mirror and saw Larissa's eyes go wide. "I don't want to," she whined.

"I know you don't, but mommy and I don't want you to catch what your sister has. Do you want to get a sore throat, cough, and feel yucky in general," he asked.

"No way," she said.

"Okay, well you'll be in her room for the time being then, okay?"

She sighed dramatically, "Okay."

He chuckled to himself. She was going to be just like her mom in school.

* * *

**Three Days Later…**

Ana was finally feeling better. She had not been coughing as much and stopped pointing to her throat all the time. Her rash was starting to go away and her fever had gone way down since Monday.

Troy and Sharpay woke up to crying on Thursday morning. "Not again," Sharpay groaned as she got out of bed and went into Ana's room. Only it wasn't Ana who was crying. She sighed and walked to the next room and turned on the light, "Oh boy," she said to herself. She walked into the room.

"Mommy," Larissa said, crying. She had gotten sick in bed.

"It's okay," Sharpay said gently as she lifted Larissa out of the bed and carried her to the bathroom. "Does your tummy still feel yucky," she asked. Before Larissa could answer, she got sick again. "I'll take that as a yes."

Troy walked into the bathroom, "What happ –" He looked at Larissa. "Oh man," he said to himself.

* * *

**Eh, not much of a cliffhanger, but it leaves you thinking: is Larissa having an anxiety attack, or is she sick? Hmmmm. Anyway, Scarlet Fever really does go away pretty quickly, since I had it when I was a kid. It is just SOOO painful! Okay, please R&R!**


	19. A New Day

**So I have decided that this is going to be the last chapter. I have loved writing this story, but I decided that I needed to end it sometime soon, so I'm ending it here. Thank you to all who have read it!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

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_**The Additions (19/19)**_

The next morning, Larissa woke up and felt as if nothing had happened the night before. She looked over and saw Sharpay asleep in the chair that was in the room. She walked over to her mom and poked her a few times. "Mommy," she said softly. She waited for a response. When she didn't get one, she climbed up on to Sharpay's lap and yelled, "Mommy!"

Sharpay woke up and nearly jumped to the ceiling. "What? What's wrong? Do you feel sick again," she asked.

"Huh?" Larissa said, not remembering last night. "Mommy it's time to wake up," she said smiling.

Sharpay looked at Larissa. "So you feel all right," she asked.

She nodded, "Uh huh."

"Oh…good," Sharpay said, completely confused. Was this the same child who was still angry about having to leave her own bedroom for a week?

Troy walked into the room. "I heard yelling, is everything okay," he asked, looking from Sharpay to Larissa.

"Apparently yes," Sharpay, said, still confused.

"Hi daddy," Larissa said as she hugged Troy's legs.

"Good morning, honey, how do you feel," he asked as he picked her up.

"Fine," she said as she smiled.

He nodded, "Good." He looked over at Sharpay, "Um, can I talk to you for a second please?"

"Sure," she said, getting up from the chair. "Ouch. I think I was sitting in the same position for too long," she said as she slowly walked out of the room and followed Troy to their room.

Once there, he shut the door. "Okay, she seems fine. I don't think she's got the flu."

"I'm sure it's one of those 12 hour things, Troy. Kids get them all the time," she said, rubbing her neck.

"No, I think she had a major anxiety attack. I mean, did you see her this morning? Do you remember the way she acted when she had the flu? She was whining all day and night. And now she's all…I don't know, spunky," he said.

She stopped rubbing her neck and thought about what he just said. "You know, now that I think about it, you may be right." She sighed, "Well, it must have had something to do with the fact that she is sleeping in another room and that there was a thunderstorm last night," she said.

He nodded, "Exactly my point."

They were interrupted by Ana's crying. "Oh goody," Sharpay said. "Watch, either her throat hurts again, her rash came back, or her fever's back," she said as she walked to the door and opened it.

Troy pulled her back in and closed the door. "Shar, what's going on with you? Why are you so negative?"

"Gee, I don't know, Troy," she said sarcastically, "Maybe the fact that we can't seem to go a month without one of them coming down with something or maybe the fact that Larissa has this anxiety thing and Ana is autistic, I don't know." She sat down on the bed.

"Hold that thought, I'm going to go get Ana up," he said as he walked out of the room and into Ana's. "Good morning," he said as he lifted her out of the crib.

"Dada," she said as he picked her up. She stopped crying.

"And I see you're feeling better as well," he said when he felt her forehead was back to its normal temperature.

She smiled and squirmed to get out of his grasp and walked over to her toys and started to play with them.

He looked over at her and smiled. Her speech therapy kept getting better; she was able to say a few words now as well as let them know what she needed or wanted.

Back in their bedroom, Sharpay just sat there, emotionless. She felt completely drained. Was her family ever going to be anything like Ryan's or Taylor's? She sighed and slowly started to feel tears falling down her face. She didn't even bother to wipe them.

Troy walked back into the room, making sure Ana was in view. He looked over at Sharpay and sat beside her and pulled her close to him. "What's wrong," he asked.

She let the tears flow freely as she spoke, "Will we ever be a normal family, Troy?"

"What are you talking about," he asked.

"Think about it; we have two children with mental disabilities. We'll never be normal," she said, crying.

He shook his head and continued to hold her. "I don't know of any family who is 'normal,' Shar. I mean, look at Ryan and Gabi. They spoil their daughter, which has turned her into a very selfish child; Chad and Taylor are barely ever home at the same time which has been putting a lot of stress on their marriage, and Jason and Kelsi…okay, so maybe they're an exception. But still, just think about it," he said as he kissed her head.

She sniffled and did think about it and laughed a little. "Theresa is pretty spoiled, isn't she," she said, thinking about the amount of toys that were in her room and the fact that she threw a temper tantrum if she didn't get what she wanted, no matter where she was. "I do feel bad for Taylor and Chad though. He's always at games and when he's not, Taylor is away at some conference. When they're together, all they do is argue or they just don't talk enough." She sighed and looked at Troy. "We are pretty lucky, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are." He kissed her again.

"Gross, get a room," Larissa said from the doorway.

"Hey we are in a room," Troy said. "Come here, you."

Larissa ran up to him and climbed up on the bed. "Mommy are you sad," she asked Sharpay who was still wiping her face.

"No honey, I'm not sad, I'm happy," she said as she smiled and pulled Larissa into a hug.

"Oh, okay," she said. She got down and walked into her and Ana's room and sat down next to Ana.

"Yeah, it had to have been an anxiety attack," she said.

"Well I hate to say I told you so, but –"

"Then don't," she said with a smile. "Please don't. I'm in a good mood, let's not spoil it all right," she said with a smirk.

"Okay." He smiled and walked into the girls' room. He smiled at what he saw. They were playing quietly together; Larissa was teaching Ana how to hold her doll like a baby. "Psst, Sharpay, come here," Troy whispered.

Sharpay walked to where Troy was and smiled at the sight. "You're right, we do have the perfect family," she said as she leaned her head on Troy's.

* * *

**Ah, and that's the end. Sorry I ended it; I just ran out of ideas. But I'd be willing to write a sequel if anyone had any ideas or anything like that, I might consider a sequel…Until then, thanks for reading!**


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